Communication regulator considers changes to extend reach of national alerting system

An emergency alert is seen on a mobile phone in North Vancouver, B.C. Wednesday, November 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

OTTAWA — Rural municipalities, Indigenous organizations and civil society groups are calling for changes to ensure people in remote parts of Canada receive emergency alerts during a crisis.

The suggestions to the federal communication regulator are aimed at closing gaps in the National Public Alerting System — more commonly known as Alert Ready — which delivers urgent messages about everything from missing children to tornadoes.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requires cellphone service providers, cable and satellite television companies and radio and television broadcasters to send out emergency alerts.

The CRTC solicited comments from interested parties on aspects of the system, including wireless public alerting gaps across Canada, distribution of alerts in English and French and the possible addition of Indigenous and other languages.

The CRTC review comes as the federal government works on a broader overhaul.

The recent federal budget promised $55.4 million over four years starting in 2026-27, and $13.4 million ongoing, for Public Safety Canada to support a new National Public Alerting System model.

In a submission to the CRTC review, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities says many rural areas and highways in the province lack reliable cellular service.

“This means emergency alerts from NPAS don’t always reach those who need them most — farmers, travellers, Indigenous communities, and those living remote from urban centres,” the brief says.

The association calls for improving the system by working with internet service providers to upgrade critical infrastructure and address cellular coverage gaps, especially along highways and remote roads.

In its brief, Rural Municipalities of Alberta suggests requiring wireless providers to meet minimum geographic coverage levels in sparsely populated areas, where alerts struggle to reach residents.

The James Bay Cree Communications Society points to the 2023 Québec wildfires as an example of the National Public Alerting System’s shortcomings.

No federal or provincial alerts were received during the evacuation of the Cree community of Mistissini, the society says in its submission to the CRTC.

The society says it worked with the Eeyou Communications Network — a majority Cree-owned telecommunications carrier — and the Cree Nation Government to issue verified updates in Cree and English via FM radio and livestream on social media platforms, becoming a trusted information source for thousands of residents.

“Canada’s public-alerting framework must evolve from consultation to co-governance — ensuring that every community can receive life-saving information in a language they understand, through systems that endure when power and connectivity fail,” the society’s brief adds.

“A truly national alerting system must make local voices part of its design, not its workaround.”

The Eeyou Communications Network calls on the CRTC to ensure public alerting policy reflects the realities of northern and Indigenous regions, where locally built and governed networks already carry essential public safety communications.

“Strengthening NPAS requires recognizing the role of Indigenous-owned carriers, establishing northern-appropriate standards, and ensuring that funding mechanisms align with operational needs in remote communities,” the network says in its submission.

The CRTC asked participants in the review about the feasibility of creating a national mobile app, available for download across Canada, as a possible solution for reducing gaps in wireless public alerting.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre told the commission there are certain limitations and concerns when it comes to the creation and operation of such an app.

“Firstly, it is unclear whether and how effective this national app will be in issuing timely emergency alerts, particularly in the rural and remote regions,” the centre’s submission says.

It adds that such a feature would require access to a phone or other digital device, which may not be possible for low-income people.

The Canadian Red Cross says alerts must reach everyone, including people in remote areas, those without reliable internet or cellular connectivity, individuals without access to mobile devices and people with disabilities.

“They must also be culturally appropriate and aligned with trusted local communication channels,” the organization’s submission says.

Communications firm BCE Inc. advised the CRTC to avoid creating expensive new public alerting system obligations for distributors of messages.

“This caution is particularly relevant for television and radio stations, which are facing severe and well-documented financial challenges,” the company’s brief says. “Any increase in regulatory costs or administrative burden risks further cutbacks or closures to local stations, and thus, any new obligations should be well thought out before implementation.”

A June 2025 memo prepared for the federal deputy minister of public safety warned the current arrangement for the alerting system is no longer viable due to a decline in the number of cable and satellite television subscribers.

“In addition, issues relating to accountability, resilience, and consistency of use of the system cannot be addressed within the CRTC framework,” said the memo, obtained through the Access to Information Act.

“Alert issuers and other stakeholders are calling for federal action to ensure continuity.”

The Mass Casualty Commission that examined the April 2020 shootings in Nova Scotia recommended the three levels of government undertake a fundamental review of public emergency alerting to determine whether and how the Alert Ready system could be reformed to meet the legal responsibility to warn the population of an emergency.

Soraya Lemur, a spokeswoman for Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski, said the minister updated her counterparts on the federal plan to renew the public alerting system during a meeting with provincial and territorial ministers last month.

Public Safety officials recently launched a formal request for information to gather input that will help guide renewal of the alerting system, Lemur added.

“Public Safety will continue to work closely with all stakeholders throughout the NPAS renewal process to ensure that Canada’s public alerting capability is maintained and is sustainable over the long term.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2025.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press