CRTC looking into high number of cellphone tornado alerts in Manitoba during June storm

Canada’s telecom regulator is investigating why Manitobans received an “unusually high number” of tornado alerts on their cellphones when the province was hit by wild thunderstorms June 9.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission gave Pelmorex Corp., which operates the national Alert Ready system, and three wireless providers — Bell, Rogers and Telus — until Sept. 11 to answer a list of questions.

“Commission staff have been informed of reports concerning tornado alerts that were issued in Winnipeg and southern Manitoba on June 9, 2026, in which members of the public reported receiving an unusually high number of wireless emergency alerts,” Simon Levasseur, the CRTC’s director of financial and multiplatform technology analysis, wrote in a letter dated Wednesday.

“Commission staff is gathering information on the event, any potential root causes that have been identified, as well as corrective actions that have or will be taken to address these causes.”

Pelmorex, Bell, Rogers and Telus were each asked to describe their role in the creation, receipt, processing or distribution of the alerts issued that day by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

They were also asked to explain any procedural, environmental or technical factors that contributed to over-alerting, and any improvements implemented or planned since then.

The CRTC cannot provide further details, a spokesperson said, but all related correspondence will be published on its website.

A Pelmorex official was unavailable to provide an update on the company’s investigation Monday, a spokesperson said.

Bell is investigating with “relevant stakeholders” and will respond to the CRTC’s letter by the deadline, spokeswoman Elise von Scheel said. She said Bell’s role is to distribute alerts to customers in the affected area.

Rogers and Telus did not respond to the Free Press’s requests for comment by 5:30 p.m.

Environment Canada needed more time to respond, a spokesperson said.

“This is an important part of the process of finding out what happened back in June and I look forward to seeing the results of the public engagement,” Manitoba Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz said in a statement.

Environment Canada declared a number of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings across southern Manitoba on June 9.

Manitobans received emergency cellphone notifications via Alert Ready, or the National Public Alerting System, about a tornado “in this mobile coverage area.” Some reported receiving 16 or more alerts.

Some people received notices even though their community was not included in a tornado warning, causing confusion. Notifications encouraged people to seek immediate cover in a basement or interior room.

“This is an important part of the process of finding out what happened back in June and I look forward to seeing the results of the public engagement”

The situation raised concerns about alert fatigue and the potential for future notifications to be ignored.

Storms dumped record rainfall amounts, leading to significant flooding and widespread hail, resulting in a record number of vehicle damage claims to Manitoba Public Insurance.

The Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed that tornadoes rated EF-0 on the Fujita scale — meaning of lesser severity — touched down near Ste. Anne and Dufrost, with no reports of damage.

Environment Canada said on June 10 that some Manitobans may have received what they felt was an excessive number of alerts. The agency and Pelmorex, the Weather Network’s parent company, said they were working with wireless providers to investigate the cause.

On Aug. 12, Environment Canada introduced a new system that allows its forecasters to issue severe thunderstorm or tornado warnings only to people in targeted areas where the highest impacts are expected. Forecasters draw a polygon shape around the targeted areas.

Previously, warnings were issued for wider areas.

The improvements are expected to reduce the number of Alert Ready notifications that people receive on their cellphones.

Alert Ready is a partnership between the federal government, provinces and territories, Environment Canada, wireless providers and the broadcast industry, allowing authorized emergency management organizations to warn the public about imminent or unfolding hazards.

Aside from severe weather, the system has been used in Manitoba in recent years to advise of child abductions and the 2025 wildfire season’s provincial state of emergency.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca