StarEditorial: While there is room to improve emergency alerts, by their nature they will be imperfect because of uncertain and changing information.
in Nova Scotia in 2020 — why authorities would be inclined to err on the side of disseminating even partial information rather than none at all. In Nova Scotia, a gunman killed 22 people over two days, with RCMP initially notifying citizens only by Facebook and Twitter rather than sending out province-wide emergency alert.
Alert Ready, Canada’s emergency alert system, was introduced in 2015. In Ontario, the OPP sends alerts on behalf of regional police agencies. Alerts are issued by authorized agencies, such as law enforcement or Environment Canada, who determine the content, how alerts stand, and what people should do when they receive them.reports that 169 alerts have been issued this year in Ontario, 158 for tornado threats, six for thunderstorms, two for civil emergencies and three amber alert. Across Canada, 10 alerts have been issued in cases of police incidents. The sending of emergency alerts to wireless devices has brought out some of the less generous elements of humankind. Late-night amber alerts about children whose lives might be in danger have prompted some citizens to clog police emergency lines complaining about having their sleep disrupted. But it is useful to remember the stakes involved in such cases, and the pressures under which authorities are operating. This week in Ontario, police were dealing with an emergency with many moving parts across several jurisdictions. By definition, such alerts are issued under high stress, often in situations of uncertain and changing information.It is true that emergency alerts should contain actionable information. It is also true that overuse of the system might inure citizens and cause them to ignore the alarms. So, there is room here for improvement. But it’s equally certain what the answer would be were citizens around Portapique, N.S., asked if they would sooner have had an incomplete alarm about an active shooter two years ago rather than none at all. They would surely agree that it’s better to receive an alert and not need it or fully understand it, than to need it and not get it.
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