Alberta Emergency Test Alerts Hitting Cellphones on March 1

If you’re in Alberta, the province is set to hold an emergency alerting system test on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, with Alert Ready, Canada’s public alerting system.

The test is set to take place over TV, radio and compatible wireless devices at 1:55pm MST.

A provincial test of the emergency alerting system will happen Wednesday, March 1 at 1:55pm. Check your phone compatibility at https://t.co/AwX25B8q5C Visit https://t.co/OC3LqvDsqm for tips to help you and your family become more prepared. Follow @ABPublicSafety to stay informed.

— Alberta Emergency Alert (@AB_EmergAlert) February 27, 2023

According to Alberta’s website, it normally tests the Emergency Alert system province-wide in May and November. But this March test will replace the May test.

For other provinces and territories, the next Alert Ready test is coming on May 10, 2023.

So far, there have been six emergency alert messages sent in 2023, with four taking place in Nova Scotia and one each in Ontario and Quebec.

Emergency wireless test alerts are mandatory and cannot be disabled, according to the CRTC. If your phone is not on silent, get ready to hear a jarring audible alert. Shift workers should turn on Airplane Mode or power off their device tomorrow afternoon.