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Abstract

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is developing a national Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system for Canada. The network will focus on regions with a) an expectation of strong earthquakes, and b) concentrations of population and/or critical infrastructure (CI). These regions include parts of British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. The system will facilitate mitigation of earthquake impacts, allowing for timely and appropriate response actions by the public, emergency measures organizations, CI operators, and other industrial facilities. However, for the system to be effective, a culture of awareness is necessary to ensure appropriate protective actions are taken when alerts are received. A coordinated public education campaign is underway to help achieve this. NRCan is hosting workshops and other outreach activities with CI operators to ensure they are aware of the benefits of installing systems that automatically translate EEW alerts into protective actions. Simultaneously, NRCan is encouraging equipment providers in Canada to develop such automated systems. In these efforts, NRCan is collaborating with federal and provincial public safety organizations, private and international partners, and Non-Governmental Organizations. This will ensure that EEW messaging is authoritative, consistent and accessible. Social science research by collaborators is underway and will guide the education of vulnerable populations including First Nations peoples, new immigrants, people with low income, and the elderly. By making it possible to take safe actions before the arrival of potentially harmful shaking, the national EEW system will contribute to the reduction of earthquake risk in Canada.