British Columbia is installing up to 50 earthquake early warning sensors in high seismic risk areas. These sensors will connect to the national Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system, supplementing and complementing several hundred sensors already installed by Natural Resources Canada.

The system will give seconds to tens of seconds of warning before the strongest shaking arrives at coastal communities in British Columbia and will assist in the protection of critical transportation infrastructure in British Columbia.

When the full system is operational in 2024, more than 10 million people in Canada living in the most earthquake-prone regions of the country will receive Earthquake Early Warning alerts, providing a few precious seconds to take action.

In the spring of 2022, the first sensors for the national EEW system were installed at the BC Ferries’ terminal at Horseshoe Bay as part of a suite of initiatives being brought forward by the Government of Canada to strengthen the safety, security and resilience of Canada’s emergency readiness infrastructure.

There are more than 5,000 earthquakes in Canada every year, most of them along B.C.’s coast, although about 20 per cent of the quakes are along the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River valleys.

“Being situated in the most earthquake-prone area of Canada, British Columbians know that earthquake preparedness will save lives, protect key infrastructure systems and reduce property damage. Our government will continue to invest in emergency preparedness initiatives like the Earthquake Early Warning system to better protect Canadians and communities across the country from natural hazards,” said Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson.