Canadians across nearly every province and territory can expect to receive a test emergency alert on their cellphones, radios, and televisions this Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
These public test alerts are part of the federal Alert Ready system and are designed to ensure the technology works properly in the event of a real emergency.
The alert will be sent out at different local times depending on the region. For most provinces, the test is scheduled for 1:55 p.m. local time. Here are provinces that will have a different time for this alert:
Residents in Quebec won’t receive an alert this time, as the province has opted out of the May 2025 test.
The Alert Ready system is operated in partnership with federal, provincial, and territorial governments, along with broadcasters and wireless providers.
The current Alert Ready system is managed by Pelmorex, the parent company of The Weather Network. No action is required when the alert sounds—it’s just a test. You can’t disable them but you can put your phone in silent. For shift workers, you might get woken up at htis time if your phone is on. It’s always funny to see everyone reaching for their phones when these alerts go off for everyone (your device needs to be connected to an LTE network).
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