Statement of Integrity and Ethics
Instant Weather is committed to providing the most transparent and accurate forecasts and storm coverage possible. Since 2013, our goal has been to raise awareness about tornadoes and severe weather from coast-to-coast and prepare for anything. There is an inherent distrust in the general population when it comes to weather forecasting due to the lack of accountability and transparency. This has led to common sayings like "Weather forecasting is the only job where you can constantly get it wrong and not get fired". Social media has increased the prevalence of misinformation which includes weather forecasting making it hard to figure out what to trust. It’s our commitment to do our best to change that and give a source that Canadians can come to trust for reliable weather information. We will do that by holding ourselves accountable because trust is earned, not given.
We promise that all forecasts and updates published by Instant Weather will:
Always be free with no paywall. We believe weather information is a vital public good that should be free and accessible to anyone. While there are costs involved in offering a service like this, we will cover these costs through non-intrusive methods including advertisements and sponsorships.
Be reflective of the current weather data and address all areas of uncertainty that could result in changes to the forecast. Our aim is for our forecasts to cover a wide range of scenarios instead of just picking one and hoping it’s the right choice.
Focus on preparation and keeping you calm. Weather forecasts can be quite stressful for many to read which we want to avoid especially for those who suffer from storm anxiety.
Avoid hype or over-exaggeration, but will not ‘sugar coat’ forecasts either. We want you to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Be continuously updated when the data changes so any significant shifts in the forecasts will be passed on to the public as soon as possible.
Be accessible to everyone. This includes the use of numbers on our forecast maps and using colour pallets that are designed to be easier to understand for those who are colour blind.
Be easy to read and understand. Our maps are designed to easily identify your location. We will refrain from using unnecessarily technical language that doesn’t improve the understanding of the potential impacts it could have on the ground.
Be open to questions or feedback. We stand by our forecasts and have an open dialogue with the community. When possible, we will try to answer any questions or clarifications that are not addressed in our forecast. We are also open to feedback and will try to implement solutions if possible.
Be free of any bias or hidden agendas. We are firmly grounded in science and will not use our platform to spread unscientific information even if it’s weather-related. We will do our best to ensure any external materials posted on our platforms are factual and free of misinformation. If incorrect information is ever published in error, we will correct it as quickly as possible and immediately issue a statement explaining what happened and what we're doing to ensure it will not happen again.
Be held accountable after the event. Starting in 2022, we are putting a focus on post-storm summaries which include an analysis of our forecast performance and discussing how we can improve. We are currently piloting this in Southern Ontario with widespread system-related snowfall events of 10cm or more using snowfall reports collected from our community members. We hope to expand this across the country and to include other weather types where possible.
