Concerns Emerge Over Alert Classification After Stabbing in Pickering

An emergency alert sent out in the Greater Toronto Area just hours after a woman was fatally stabbed in Pickering has sparked questions about how quickly it was issued and why it was labeled as “terrorism” on some platforms.

Durham Regional Police received calls just after 3 p. m. on Thursday regarding a stabbing at a home on Lynn Heights Drive, located near Whites Road North and Finch Avenue. The victim was rushed to a hospital but later pronounced dead.

Police Chief Peter Moreira described the incident as a “sadistic and cowardly unprovoked attack.”

The police department shared a general warning on their X account at 4:49 p. m.

“There is a heavy police presence in the area of Fairport Road and Lynn Heights Drive in Pickering. Police are urging residents to shelter in place,” the post stated.

“An adult female has been transported to a Toronto-area trauma centre after being assaulted where she has been pronounced deceased. An unknown suspect remains outstanding. Updates to follow.”

An emergency alert was sent to mobile phones in Pickering and parts of Toronto and Durham Region at 5:39 p. m.

“The Durham Regional Police investigating (sic) a homicide suspect in 2125 Lynn Heights Drive. Suspect 1 unknown male. Police request that the public shelter in place. Please monitor local media for further updates on this matter,” the alert read.

The police later announced that there would be a media update at 7 p. m. Nearly thirty minutes afterward, Moreira spoke with reporters about how officers from various agencies were called in for assistance.

However, when the alert went out, some outlets like The Weather Network classified it under “terrorism.” Moreira acknowledged this classification when questioned about it.

“That certainly wasn’t part of our message, and not the message that we had put out,” Moreira stated.

“I’m not sure how that came out to be, but I’ve reviewed what we put out to the OPP.”

City News raised concerns over the delay before residents received the shelter-in-place warning on their phones.

“There’s a period of time in which we want to make sure that we understand what has happened so that we can provide accurate information to the community and that we understand fully what it is that we’re asking the community to do on our behalf,” Moreira explained.

An hour later, he confirmed that officers had taken a teenager into custody. The suspect, who is 14 years old and cannot be named due to Youth Criminal Justice Act regulations, appeared in an Oshawa court Friday morning facing charges of first-degree murder. These allegations have not been proven yet.

A publication ban from the court also applies to various identifying posts made on social media.

The Process for Issuing Alerts Across Ontario

In Ontario, only the Ontario Provincial Police have authority over processing alerts. Local police services must submit requests for alerts through them. It’s up to the OPP to create content for alerts, decide if they go out as text or audio messages, determine geographic reach, and consider any possible cancellations.

The OPP verifies submitted information before sending alerts via broadcast distributors through Canada’s national emergency alerting system known as Alert Ready using its National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination (NAAD) service.

The NAAD checks whether requests meet formatting requirements before forwarding them onto broadcast distributors like wireless carriers, television stations, radio stations, cable companies, and satellite operators who must relay these messages across all their platforms.

Pelmorex operates The Weather Network along with other services responsible for Canada’s national alert infrastructure.

City News reached out to Pelmorex regarding why certain outlets listed “terrorism” even though mobile devices only displayed “emergency alert.”

A spokesperson named Martin Belanger mentioned there was an indication related to terrorism when they received information from OPP about this particular case:

“Alert distributors display the content that is provided in the alert.”

“In this case, the alert type was terrorism which was what was received from OPP so that was not something The Weather Network decided,” he clarified.

“As for why they chose this specific type of alert that’s best answered by Ontario Provincial Police.”

“He added there’s capability within cellphone alerts targeted at specific transmission towers ensuring more localized messaging; however decisions about where those alerts go lie with OPP.”

City News then contacted headquarters of OPP concerning distribution methods used during incidents such as those occurring within Pickering area.

“The timeline surrounding yesterday’s notification takes into account necessary investigative procedures performed by police service jurisdiction verifying criteria alongside submission requests towards issuing agencies,” acting Staff-Sgt Jeffrey Del Guidice told City News late Friday evening.

“Once O. P. P receives requested notifications less than twenty minutes needed prior release; during such time frames reviews along translations occur pre-issue.” 

“He claimed classifications indicating ‘terrorism’ resulted due ‘technical malfunction’.” 

“Upon recognition error realized correction implemented currently investigating cause malfunction seeking resolution.”..

Assessing Emergency Alerts Effectiveness