Yes you heard right. The weather radios you can get, like all the emergency ones that have the weather bands with the alerts? Well, the Canadian one, Weather Radio Canada, will sunset on March 16 2026.
That's crazy! I had to Google it myself to believe it. I really can't get my head around it, that's an extremely important service, particularly during outages. I'm having a hard time comprehending the Canadian government shutting it down. It seems surreal!
Why?
Google AI answers:
Reasoning: While no specific reason was given in the announcement, it follows a previous decline in social media coverage and a 2020 review that highlighted the high cost of maintenance (approx. $12,000 per transmitter/year) and the shift to digital alternatives.
Had to ask if there was any indication the same might occur in the US...
- Modernization, Not Shutdown: The NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act (reintroduced in 2025) aims to upgrade outdated technology, specifically reducing reliance on aging copper wire transmissions in favor of more reliable internet-protocol (IP) and satellite-based systems.
- Expanding Coverage: While Canada is moving toward digital-only apps, the U.S. plan includes adding new transmitters to reach 98–99% of the population, focusing on rural and tribal communities with poor cellular service.
- Scheduled Upgrades: You may notice temporary outages (such as those seen in mid-2025) that are often mistaken for shutdowns. These are typically mandatory software upgrades to the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) to improve alert accuracy and reliability.
- Funding Status: For Fiscal Year 2025, the U.S. government requested $6.6 billion for NOAA, prioritizing "climate-ready nation" investments that include maintaining and improving legacy observational s
There's more to this than just shutting down over the air weather radio Canada. I believe it will progress to over the air AM/FM broadcast radio in general. AM first. Even the radio stations keep saying we can be heard streaming and on this or that app, or tell your smart speaker to play talk 640 or what have you, discouraging over the air listening. This is just a casualty of those damn smart phones that should have never happened and the writing was on the wall when they first came out. Those things are putting the lid on free over the air broadcasting, the true death of radio. You would rather pay for streaming and apps/smart speakers as opposed to over the air broadcasting. They have ruined us(not me) and everyone is too addicted to ditch them because it's worse than smoking. Weather Radio Canada going off the air is just the beginning of the casualties.
Question....what if you don't have a smartphone to stream it or get an app?
The other thing is that when there is an emergency, and a power outage, people will be far more likely to have a battery operated radio to get up to date information.
The internet goes down with power outages, so do computers (after emergency power supplies dwindle out, if you have one). Smartphones don't work (again, after their emergency power goes out, and you need that power for every cell tower).
With a radio transmitter, you just need to ensure that it stays on the air and the signals travel a long ways.
Very short sighted on the government's behalf. It reminds me of the so-called 'paperless society'. Everyone keeps paper for backup, or you'll pay big time.