- #TORONTO WEATHER NETWORK RADAR FOR FREE#
- #TORONTO WEATHER NETWORK RADAR HOW TO#
- #TORONTO WEATHER NETWORK RADAR FREE#
Through Thursday: Storm risk returns for southern Ontario MUST SEE: The best fans to help you cope with extreme summer heat While the worst of Wednesday’s weather is over now, we’re looking ahead to another risk for thunderstorms across much of the region on Thursday. Perhaps it’s time they do something radical and continue the good work started by the WeatherCAN app: that is, give Canadians a better option than the snooping apps that populate our phones - and remind us that a government can actually do good things, too.Wednesday was an active day across southern Ontario as a slow-moving line of storms prompted tornado warnings and flooding rain for many areas across the region. An app that doesn’t feels like a breath of fresh air.īut we have a body that is meant to represent us and our interests. We have grown too accustomed to the digital world as one that compromises privacy. It shouldn’t be the case that downloading a weather app that actually works and is better than the private alternative is a revelation but alas, it is. But this could be handled by the creation of an arm’s-length, publicly funded third-party agency to run digital services that would keep data out of the hands of either the government or the police except when the law required it. True, there are privacy concerns here as any Indigenous activist could tell you, the Canadian state is hardly neutral. What if, then, instead of giving up your privacy to Google to get Gmail, or having to sign up for a Microsoft account to use a calendar on Outlook, the state provided those services as part of what a modern government should do to serve its citizens? It could also be a part of a modern digitization of social services and things such as driver’s licenses and health records
#TORONTO WEATHER NETWORK RADAR HOW TO#
As the company writes on its website, “Over the decades, we’ve accumulated a wide and deep pool of data that gives us insights into how to efficiently and effectively reach consumers.” The reason is that The Weather Network is actually owned by Pelmorex Corp, which not only runs weather services, but is also a sophisticated data company. More importantly, though, upon downloading the app asks you for age and gender, all so it can serve you ads and better know its users. Notifications bother you incessantly and the radar map - useful to see if you are actually about to be rained on - seems to barely work. The apps are fine, if occasionally frustrating. That’s it.Ĭontrast that with The Weather Network. Vitally, however, in addition to being a neat little app in its own right, WeatherCAN also has a very clear privacy policy: for obvious reasons, it knows your location and also what kind of device you use in order to troubleshoot the application.
#TORONTO WEATHER NETWORK RADAR FREE#
Imagine that: a free app, from your own government, that is not only effective but is actually good. Couple that with a widget for your home screen and even helpful little messages about general weather knowledge, and it’s a winner. It’s fast, it looks nice and, importantly, it is accurate. The great thing about the WeatherCAN app by Environment Canada is that it just works. Not only was the app just as good, it was also far less invasive - and left me feeling that perhaps the government can not only do things well, but has a role to play in our digital lives.
#TORONTO WEATHER NETWORK RADAR FOR FREE#
Frustrated by how many apps on my phone tracked me and served ads, I decided to ditch the ubiquitous Weather Network app in favour of the one provided for free by Environment Canada. I had a pleasant surprise recently, though. While the delay is likely connected to pandemic-related staffing issues and backlogs, the lines feel like an uncomfortable reminder that our dealings with our own government can be frustrating, slow and simply bad. If you have paid any attention to the news lately, or walked down a busy city street, you have probably seen the staggering lineups outside Service Canada offices as people wait for their passports.
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