Alberta residents say they received many emergency alert tests, March 1, 2023. (Image: Lethbridge News Now)

By Canadian Press

‘Is Alberta glitching?’ Province’s emergency alert system sends multiple tests

Mar 1, 2023 | 4:13 PM

EDMONTON, AB – A test of the Alberta Emergency Alert system has some Albertans wondering if there was an actual emergency.

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis sent out a statement earlier this week saying the province would be issuing an alert test across the province today at 1:55 p.m.

An online archive of the alerts shows as many as nine test messages went out to Albertans between 1:55 and 2:01 p.m.

No one from the province could immediately be reached for comment on whether the number of alerts was intentional or not.

The hashtag #emergencyalerts quickly started trending on Twitter as cellphones buzzed and screeched out the alerts.

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Paul Fairie, an instructor at the University of Calgary, posted, “Is the emergency alert system experiencing an emergency?”

Others asked, “Is Alberta glitching” and, “Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf?”

One Twitter user said, “It works. IT WORKS,” while another posted, “I think it’s fair to say that test failed.”

Another person simply tweeted, “Omg make it stop.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2023.

(The Canadian Press)