Officials enlist amateur radio operators as critical backup for extreme weather planning: ‘When the lights go out, we can keep going’ (Canada)

As the world adjusts to a new era of rising temperatures and more severe weather-related disasters, governments across Canada have been turning to a decidedly old-school form of communication: the ham radio. 

While the use of ham radios has long been left mostly to amateur radio enthusiasts, officials increasingly have seen the relatively low-tech devices as an important means of communication during emergency situations, the Globe and Mail reported.

In July, Ontario’s government approved CA$545,000 (US$396,000) in funding for the Radio Amateurs of Canada to train its members to operate their ham radios during an emergency, according to the Globe and Mail.

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