In accordance with Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Broadcasting Order 2009-340, issued June 11, 2009 and Broadcasting Order 2009-340-1, issued January 24, 2012, Pelmorex has established the National Alert Aggregation & Dissemination System (NAAD System), assisted by a Governance Council of public and private stakeholders.

The National Alert Aggregation & Dissemination System provides the technical infrastructure of Canada’s national public alerting system.

Pelmorex’s NAAD System collects public safety messages from authorized government authorities and distributes those messages by satellite and through the internet to broadcasting undertakings such as radio and television stations, cable and satellite TV companies, wireless service providers and other last mile distributors (LMDs). There is no charge by Pelmorex for these services.

This website hosts information and updates regarding the National Alert Aggregation & Dissemination System.

For more information on Canada’s national public alerting system, visit alertready.ca.

Resources

Resources for Last Mile distributors

Pelmorex has prepared technical information describing the features of the National Alert Aggregation & Dissemination (NAAD) System. It is intended to assist Last Mile Distributors so that they can pass on Public Safety Messages to the public.

NAAD System Governance Council Update (summary for LMD)

Policies and guidelines

NAAD System Rules

In consultation with Pelmorex’s Governance Council, Pelmorex has adopted certain policies and rules to govern the operation of the NAAD System. These are practical rules to encourage distribution by broadcasters and must be compliant with CAP/CAP-CP standards. The NAAD System rules are listed below:

CAP-CP or Canadian Profile Rules

This second set of rules come from the Canadian Profile for CAP Standard, managed by a government body representing Senior Officials Representing Emergency Managers (SOREM). These rules must be compliant with CAP.

CAP Rules

Both above sets of rules are based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Standard. CAP provides an open, non-proprietary digital message format for all types of emergency alerts and notifications over all kinds of networks. The CAP specification is owned by OASIS.

The following is a list of CAP-CP/CAP Rules adopted by Pelmorex Governance Council for use in the NAAD System:

July 12, 2012 – CAP/CAP-CP Standards used by the NAAD System

Environment Canada and the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

Environment Canada’s information sheets about the warnings in Common Alerting Protocol format (CAP) are available on the Meteorological Service of Canada’s HTTP data server.

Wireless Public Alerting

Wireless Service Providers (WSPs) make Alert Messages available to the public on WPA compatible devices connected to an LTE network. Alerts on mobile devices will warn Canadians about dangers to life and property so that they can take appropriate action.

The following documents provide Wireless Service Providers with information on how to connect to the NAAD System to receive alert messages intended for immediate wireless distribution on LTE networks in Canada:

Please contact us if you have any questions or if you need assistance in establishing a new connection to the NAAD System to distribute emergency alerts to your wireless subscribers.


NAAD System Tests Schedule

System Tests may be performed by Authorized Government Agencies (AGA) and Pelmorex to ensure public safety messages are received and submitted successfully, and that the NAAD System is available and operational at all times. The NAAD System supports two different ways of system testing.

  • Test messages not intended for broadcast.
  • Test messages intended for broadcast (This type of alerts could be Broadcast Intrusive or not).

For more details about the test message policy, please refer to this document.

All test messages scheduled for distribution to the public will be posted below. This test schedule is for those Public Awareness Tests conducted twice a year (1x in May, 1x in November) that require an immediate distribution on TV, radio and compatible wireless devices.

Note to LMD: After each broadcast test, please submit your completed checklist to the NAAD System Support Desk who will relay any issues to Pelmorex and/or the test alert originator.

Province/Territory Testing Date Local Testing Time Timezone UTC Date UTC Time
Alberta Wednesday, March 1, 2023 1:55 PM MST Wednesday, March 1, 2023 8:55 PM
Alberta No test in May 2023
British Columbia Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1:55 PM PDT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 8:55 PM
Manitoba Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1:55 PM CDT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 6:55 PM
New Brunswick Wednesday, May 10, 2023 10:55 AM ADT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1:55 PM
Newfoundland & Labrador Wednesday, May 10, 2023 10:55 AM NDT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1:25 PM
Northwest Territories Wednesday, May 10, 2023 9:55 AM MDT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 3:55 PM
Nova Scotia Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1:55 PM ADT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 4:55 PM
Nunavut Wednesday, May 10, 2023 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 6:00 PM
Ontario Wednesday, May 10, 2023 12:55 PM EDT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 4:55 PM
Prince Edward Island Wednesday, May 10, 2023 12:55 PM ADT Wednesday, May 10, 2023 3:55 PM
Quebec No test in May 2023
Saskatchewan Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1:55 PM CST Wednesday, May 10, 2023 7:55 PM
Yukon The May 2023 test has been cancelled.
Alberta Wednesday, November 15, 2023 1:55 PM MST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 8:55 PM
British Columbia November 2023 test to be confirmed
Manitoba Wednesday, November 15, 2023 1:55 PM CST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 7:55 PM
New Brunswick Wednesday, November 15, 2023 10:55 AM AST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 2:55 PM
Newfoundland & Labrador Wednesday, November 15, 2023 10:55 AM NST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 2:25 PM
Northwest Territories Wednesday, November 15, 2023 1:55 PM MST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 8:55 PM
Nova Scotia Wednesday, November 15, 2023 1:55 PM AST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 5:55 PM
Nunavut Wednesday, November 15, 2023 2:00 PM EST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 7:00 PM
Ontario Wednesday, November 15, 2023 12:55 PM EST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 5:55 PM
Prince Edward Island Wednesday, November 15, 2023 12:55 PM AST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 4:55 PM
Quebec Wednesday, November 15, 2023 1:55 PM EST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 6:55 PM
Saskatchewan Wednesday, November 15, 2023 1:55 PM CST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 7:55 PM
Yukon Wednesday, November 15, 2023 1:55 PM MST Wednesday, November 15, 2023 8:55 PM

Contact us

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If you have question or suggestions regarding this website or the NAAD System in general, please refer to the FAQ or contact us :