A Quebec Alarm Alert Will Have Phones Buzzing Today — Don't Worry, It's Not The Apocalypse

No need to be alarmed.

Staff Writer

Don't panic, folks, if the leaders at that cursed COP26 gathering are to be believed, we still have a long way to go before the world ends. This is probably why Quebec's Ministry of Public Security is testing its emergency alert system throughout the province.

The Quebec alarm alert is going to happen on Wednesday afternoon, so keep those phones handy.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, the "Québec En Alerte system quickly informs the population in the event that they should take shelter or adopt a safety behaviour due, for example, to a risk of explosion, a chemical risk, a tornado or other threat to life."

"This system also allows the dissemination of an AMBER alert aimed at alerting the population by quickly transmitting crucial information when a child is abducted and the authorities fear for his life," the release states.

The message will be broadcast on all channels from cell phones, TVs, radios, and the internet in both French and English. The alert will display on your screen and unleash a banshee-like screeching sound that will certainly stir you out of your midday brain fog.

Please note that you don't really have a choice to turn it off as "it is not possible to unsubscribe from this essential service and not all citizens receive the test alert on their wireless telephone," according to the Ministry.

Emergency tests will also be happening across the country throughout the day.

Quebec's emergency alert test will go down on Wednesday, November 17 at 1:55 p.m.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Teddy Elliot
  • Teddy Elliot was a Staff Writer for MTL Blog. He was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec and has a B.A. in Literature. Teddy has been a journalist for three years and was once an English teacher. His creative work has appeared in The Blasted Tree and Parenthetical Magazine. When he's not chasing scoops, Teddy can be found cheering on Aston Villa and listening to 80s power ballads. He was shortlisted for a Digital Publishing Award in 2021.

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