Both have their reasons for not signing on, but with contact tracing resources stretched to the max, experts say the merit behind those reasons is weakening.

To date, Health Canada reports 5.3 million Canadians have downloaded the COVID-19 Alert application.

When asked about bringing the federal COVID-19 app to Alberta, the premier said AB Trace Together is more efficient and aligns with the province's contact-tracing system.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) chief Tom Sampson urged Calgarians to slow to the spread of COVID-19 over Halloween.

The app has already been introduced in several provinces in Canada, and its usage is expected to continue to grow.

Just five of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories have officially adopted COVID Alert, and about 10 per cent of smartphone users have downloaded it.

The app has already been introduced in several provinces in Canada, and its usage is expected to continue growing.

'The COVID Alert app is an additional measure to help inform Manitobans ... and limit the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,' Brian Pallister said.

Bureaucratic back and forth could be to blame for the slow rollout of Canada's COVID-19 alert app in some provinces and territories.

Since COVID Alert launched in July, the app has been downloaded more than 2.7 million times. But July was a different time in the pandemic.