Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
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Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
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Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#2It's pretty clear that the current Ontario emergency alert system doesn't have enough checks.
They need to pause the whole system and add in an external approval before messages are sent out.
Also everything is sent out at the "Presidential Alert Level". Presumably because someone gave the contract to their cousin.
Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#3Pickering area -- 40 km away from Toronto. Nonetheless, training exercise that erroneously issued a provide-wide alert.
Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#4Pickering area -- 40 km away from Toronto. Nonetheless, training exercise that erroneously issued a provide-wide alert.
Pickering is considered part of the GTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Toronto_Area
Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#5Pickering area -- 40 km away from Toronto. Nonetheless, training exercise that erroneously issued a provide-wide alert.
The Pickering plant is only about 3 km from the city of Toronto's border. While it was selected in the 60s as a relatively remote site, it's now a heavily urbanized area considered part of Greater Toronto.
Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#6I wonder how many people are killed per alert?
These alerts (usually AMBER alerts) are sent to millions of people, accompanied by a loud and startling siren.
You can imagine all sorts of "one-in-a-million" events. The surgeon woken in the middle of the night, who can't get back to sleep and makes a mistake the next day. The startled roofer falling off a ladder. Etc.
Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#7I wonder how many people are killed per alert? These alerts (usually AMBER alerts) are sent to millions of people, accompanied by a loud and startling siren. You can imagine all sorts of "one-in-a-million" events. The surgeon woken in the middle of the night, who can't get back to sleep and makes a mistake the next day. The startled roofer falling off a ladder. Etc.
Not even that, the deaths and injuries are immediate for drivers. Canada implemented this in the worst way possible so that any alert gets the highest alert setting possible (Presidential: what would normally be reserved for an imminent attack) - bypassing silence, do not disturb, and any volume or device setting. So Imagine a truck driver at 3 am being suddenly startled by the blaring alert and then scrambling to shut up the noise.
This will almost certainly be one of those things that future generations will look at us and wonder "wait they did what?".
Unfortunately the current dialog in Canada about this is "why do you hate children?" if you do anything but genuflect towards our AMBER alert system.
Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#8I wonder how many people are killed per alert? These alerts (usually AMBER alerts) are sent to millions of people, accompanied by a loud and startling siren. You can imagine all sorts of "one-in-a-million" events. The surgeon woken in the middle of the night, who can't get back to sleep and makes a mistake the next day. The startled roofer falling off a ladder. Etc.
lol by that logic, there is a non-insignificant death toll every time someone farts
Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#9Pickering area -- 40 km away from Toronto. Nonetheless, training exercise that erroneously issued a provide-wide alert.
It's strange that this article says "Toronto area" - it was sent to the entire province of Ontario.
Re: Toronto area sent nuclear alerts by mistake
#10I wonder how many people are killed per alert? These alerts (usually AMBER alerts) are sent to millions of people, accompanied by a loud and startling siren. You can imagine all sorts of "one-in-a-million" events. The surgeon woken in the middle of the night, who can't get back to sleep and makes a mistake the next day. The startled roofer falling off a ladder. Etc.
I'm also worried this will add to NIMBY re: nuclear power.
Not a good look for the entire province to be momentarily scared shitless about a potential incoming meltdown completely unnecessarily.
I'm in Ontario, and my first half asleep thought after being jarringly woken by this was "grab the kids and start driving south". Then I remembered I'm like 100km+ away.