After more than 50 years of service, Weatheradio Canada has officially gone off the air.
Operated by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the 24-hour automated weather radio network, first introduced in the 1970s, was permanently discontinued on March 16.
The decision was announced by the federal agency on February 23.
According to officials, said service played an important role in public safety by delivering weather forecasts and emergency alerts and was particularly valuable in rural and remote areas where cellular service was unreliable.
Weatheradio Canada consisted of approximately 230 radio transmitters nationwide, with 46 sites across Ontario, including North Bay, Parry Sound, Sault Ste. Marie, Temagami, Wawa, and Timmins. Four sites were located within Algonquin Park at Jake Lake, East Gate, West Gate, and Lake of Two Rivers.
According to ECCC officials, rising operational costs and the challenges associated with maintaining aging technology contributed to the decision to discontinue both Weatheradio Canada and the Hello Weather telephone service.
The agency said advances in technology have significantly expanded access to weather information since Weatheradio’s introduction, and cellular coverage and satellite services continue to grow and improve in many remote communities across Canada.
To replace Weatheradio, ECCC is encouraging Canadians to use a variety of modern weather information services. These include the National Public Alerting System, known as Alert Ready, which delivers emergency warnings for life-threatening events directly to cell phones, television broadcasts, and radio stations.
Canadians can also access forecasts and warnings through ECCC’s weather website and the WeatherCAN mobile app. Marine weather broadcasts provided through the Canadian Coast Guard will continue to serve boaters on the Great Lakes and along Canada’s coastlines.
The agency also noted that trusted media outlets and third-party partners continue to distribute official forecasts and weather warnings to the public.
ECCC said it has received significant feedback from Canadians regarding the closure and appreciates public input as it transitions to newer weather information services.
Meanwhile, a petition has been launched on the Parliament of Canada website calling on the federal government to reconsider the decision and restore Weatheradio Canada. The petition is currently open for signatures here.
