Don't be alarmed if your phone, computer, or television suddenly erupts with an alarm on Thursday afternoon.
A required test of Alert Ready, the national public alert system, is set for Thursday at 1:55 p.m. Test messages will be sent out over most wireless devices, as well as radio and television stations.
Broadcast companies and wireless service providers are required by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to send up to two test alerts per year.
People will get a tone, followed by a message saying that it's only a test and the public is not required to take action.
The Alert Ready system provides instant notification of emergencies under specific criteria, such as Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other issues.
So far in 2026, three alerts have been sent in Ontario, all of them for tornado warnings.
