Question Period Note: Replacement of Canada's Weather Radar Network Underway

Replacement of Canada's Weather Radar Network Underway

• The Government of Canada is committed to providing Canadians with the weather information they need to make informed decisions to protect their health, safety and security.

• The Government currently operates 31 weather radars across Canada. By the end of 2019, twelve (12) of these will be replaced with new modern radars. The remainder will be replaced by 2023.

• A $107-million contract was awarded by the Government of Canada to buy 26 new state-of-the-art weather radars. The contract contains options to replace the remaining radars in the same timeframe (2023). It also includes the addition of one new weather radar in the lower Athabasca region of Alberta and a training radar.

• Using state-of-the-art technology, Canada’s new radars are enabling meteorologists to better detect tornadoes and other severe weather and to issue warnings earlier, giving Canadians greater lead time to take shelter.

• These new radars will provide Canadians better weather information.

• Investing in Canada’s aging radar infrastructure helps address concerns about Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC’s) ability to provide early warnings to Canadians about impending severe weather to allow Canadians to take action to get out of harm’s way. This concern had been raised as early as 2008 in the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development audit on Environment Canada’s Severe Weather Warning Prediction.

• Weather radar is one key tool used by ECCC’s meteorologists to detect storms, and to help them predict and warn Canadians of impending severe weather.

• Accurate weather information is critical to the health, safety and economic prosperity of Canadians as well as to security, defence, emergency management and search and rescue. This is why the Federal Government has designated ECCC’s Weather Services as Government-wide mission critical. A new modernized radar network is a central element of ECCC’s monitoring infrastructure and is key to ensuring its long-term sustainability and reliability.

• To determine the order in which the sites will be replaced, several factors must be taken into account such as current operational stability, local severe weather frequency, location and access to the radar sites.

• The scheduling of radar replacements takes into account seasonal severe weather periods to ensure minimal disruption. However, while each radar is being replaced, there is typically a 3 to 6 month construction period with limited or no radar coverage. While the current weather radar is offline being replaced, there is a special contingency product comprised of surrounding Canadian and US radars to provide the most complete coverage possible.

• Before each new radar is installed, there is a lengthy planning phase including consultation with nearby First Nations as well as local residents and communities.

• This renewed radar infrastructure is helping weather-dependent industries better manage their business lines by having more accurate and timely weather, water and climate information. Enhanced data access will also better inform their tactical and strategic decisions, which are critical to the safety and cost-effectiveness of these sectors’ operations.

• A new radar will be installed in the Fort McMurray region. Known for its frequent severe weather events, that region also had a rapid economic growth in recent years. The vast majority of its population works outside year-round, making it extremely important to provide timely weather forecasts and real-time weather updates.

• The outcome of this project will be a modern, affordable, and sustainable network of reliable weather radars. More specifically, the new radars will provide:
o Higher data quality, better ability to pierce through storms, and better severe summer and winter weather detection to support an overall improved weather warnings performance;
o An extended range to cover more of Canada, increasing the geographic area that forecasters can monitor for severe weather;
o Increased frequency of data as the data will be available every 6 minutes rather than the existing 10-minute data cycle;
o Better business continuity because the extended coverage allows for an overlap of neighbouring radars; and
o A network based on a common commercially produced system, making it more efficient and less costly to operate and support.

• Replacement schedule: Five radars were completed in 2017 and 2018 (Blainville QC, Foxwarren MB, Radisson SK, Smooth Rock Falls ON, and Spirit River AB). Seven radars are being replaced this year: (Bethune SK, Exeter ON, Marion Bridge NS, Chipman NB, Landrienne QC, Montreal River Harbour ON and Strathmore AB). Remaining radars will be replaced at a rate of 7 each year until the project is completed in 2023.

 
• These state-of-the-art weather radars will have fully integrated dual-polarization technology to provide improved information on the shape and fall mode of precipitation. As a result, meteorologists will be able to better distinguish different types of precipitation as well as better identify non-meteorological echoes coming from objects such as bugs or debris. This will allow for improved rain rate estimations and more timely and precise weather watches and warnings.

• The weather radars are safe and conform to Health Canada’s radiofrequency guidelines. Compliance is verified by a third party and must be demonstrated before an operating license for each new radar is granted. The radars are also inspected on a regular basis to ensure their safety.

Question Period notes as provided by the Department to the Minister’s Office