Emergency alert test will blare on cellphones today

Most Canadians can expect their mobile phones, televisions and radios to sound off today as the Alert Ready system undergoes a second round of testing.

Provincial emergency management organizations will conduct simultaneous public alerting tests across the country in a bid to ensure people receive emergency alerts and can take action to stay safe.

Test alerts are supposed to appear on updated and compatible devices connected to an LTE wireless network at 1:55 p.m. local time, with the exception of Quebec, where the test will be done an hour later.

This second test comes after Manitoba Infrastructure's Emergency Measures Organizations said only 60 per cent of wireless users received an alert in a system testin May.

The first test didn't sound at all in Quebec due to a coding error, which the system operator said was fixed within a couple of hours.

In Ontario, some test alerts were heard and felt on mobile devices, but many wireless subscribers didn't receive any signals.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the alert was late for some mobile phone users. However, many other people said they didn't receive it all.