This mandatory, annual test ensures the system is ready to deliver critical, potentially life-saving alerts — like warnings for tornadoes, fires and AMBER alerts — to Canadians across the country.

An emergency alert will sound on devices nationwide on Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency alerts have been issued 230 times in Ontario this year, including 214 alerts for tornadoes, six for civil emergencies and six for thunderstorms, according to the Alert Ready website.

"If you are outspoken, Black, playing to that level, that frightens certain people," Wright said after criticism of Bellingham this week.

Britain warned Russia on Wednesday that it was ready to deal with any incursions into its territory after the spy ship Yantar was detected on the edge of U.K. waters north of Scotland.

British defence minister John Healey said on Wednesday that "military options" are ready should the Russian spy ship Yantar become a threat, after the vessel directed lasers at British pilots sent to ...