New National Emergency Alert System proposed in federal budget
The federal budget is proposing more than $55 million for a new national emergency alert system, based on a recommendation from the committee investigating the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
The National Public Alerting System, known as Alert Ready, sends critical information to Canadians about public safety threats and emergencies such as natural disasters via phone, television and radio. It is a shared responsibility between federal, provincial and territorial governments and industry partners.
The Mass Casualty Commission, which investigated the April 2020 shooting in Nova Scotia that killed 22 people, recommended a comprehensive review of the Alert Ready system to see how it could be improved.
The RCMP was strongly criticized for not using the system during the massacre. At that time, Nova Scotia police agencies had to send requests for alerts to the provincial emergency management office.
The RCMP relied on Twitter to provide information about the unfolding violence and the search for the killer, angering some victims’ family members who said an official alert could have saved lives.
An expert who testified in the public inquiry also expressed concern over this Company-based model of alert systemCurrently, Ontario-based company Pelmorex owns and operates the Alert Ready software system on behalf of the federal government.
The budget tabled Tuesday proposes to provide Public Safety Canada $55.4 million over four years, starting in 2026-27, to support a new alert model. It said $13.4 million would be provided on an ongoing basis.
Darcy Dobson’s mother, nurse Heather O’Brien, was driving on April 19, 2020 when she encountered the shooter, who was a stranger.
At the time, she knew police were responding to a situation in Portapique, NS, about 25 kilometers away, but she was killed before police tweeted that the suspect was driving a replica RCMP cruiser.
O’Brien’s family is adamant that if Mounties had shared more information earlier she would not have been on the street.
On Wednesday, Dobson said he was optimistic about the new warning system.
“I will always believe that a public warning would have prevented the murders of many innocent people on the morning of April 19, 2020, including the murder of my own mother,” Dobson wrote in a statement Wednesday.
“However, this announcement comes with some skepticism. You can throw money at anything and never solve anything. Meaningful change is needed at every level of government.”
Dobson said she will be watching closely for more details on what the new system might look like and how the criteria for alerts will be defined.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is an independent federal body that regulates and supervises Canada’s communications sector in the public interest. seeking public feedback About how to improve the warning system.
CRTC said the goal is to improve Accessibility of alerts, consider whether alerts should be distributed in languages ​​other than French and English, and ensure they are available throughout the country.
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