Emergency alerts will be sent out to cellphones in Manitoba beginning Friday.
The province announced Tuesday that Manitoba’s mobile networks are joining the expansion of the federal Alert Ready system, effective April 6.
The cost will be borne by the service providers, and a test run will be conducted at 1:55 p.m. May 9.
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Manitoba Infrastructure’s Jeremy Angus said as long as a phone has power, it will be kept up to date in case of emergencies.
“[The alert] will be very obvious to everybody, and in fact if there’s more than one person, for example in a vehicle, every phone will get it as long as the device is on and has power,” he said.
It’s not clear if phones on silent or do-not-disturb will have that distinctive alarm tone overriding their set mode, but Angus said the vibrate and banner signifying an emergency will still be present.
As for what happens if a driver receives an alert while they are behind the wheel, Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said distracted driving rules still apply.
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“In Manitoba, drivers are not allowed to use hand-held electronic communication devices such as smartphones and cellphones while driving,” Schuler said.
“If you receive an emergency alert on a wireless device while operating a vehicle, it is important to remain calm and safely pull off the roadway at your earliest opportunity to view the alert.”