Nuisance calls still plaguing 911 system, fining abusers proposed

Misuse of 911 continues to be a problem for emergency service providers across the nation. One Ontario mayor thinks fining abusers may be the remedy for the situation. Brampton mayor Patrick Brown suggested during a late December news conference that people who make unnecessary calls to the emergency number could have a fine levied against them. He plans to move such a motion at Peel Regional Council in a few weeks. Carly Paice, communications manager for British Columbia’s E-Comm service, told The Wire Report that it receives nuisance calls every day. She is calling for more public education on the do’s and don’t’s of 911 use. “A lot of people see 911 as an information line and really it is a lifeline,” she said. “It’s not designed for general inquiries.” E-Comm uses several approaches to let people know how to use the emergency service. It does an annual advertising campaign and also relies on free media exposure to warn users not to abuse the system. In December it released its annual list of the top 10 nuisance calls. “We do a big campaign in the spring,” she notes. “We do tend to see a spike in 911 calls in the springtime. April was our largest volume in 2023.” One reason for the springtime hike last year was an update to Android phones that caused false 911 calls to be generated. The BC public servant is not sure if her jurisdiction should heed Brown’s suggestion. “It’s not something that we’re looking at currently with E-Comm or in BC that I’m aware of,” Paice stated. She added that if people are consistently misusing the 911 service, police will charge them with mischief. Users have to learn that the service is not there for weather updates or power outages. Top 10 nuisance calls of 2023 were to ask directions home from the Drake concert; the traffic light was taking too long to turn green; they lost a nose ring down the shower drain; the AirBnB host cancelled their reservation; an UberEats order was taking too long; a burger joint wouldn’t let them in before opening; they couldn’t find their cell phone; to complain about a pothole; a McDonalds order was taking too long; and the barber gave them a bad haircut. – Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Phalen Tynes-MacDonald at pcreed@thewirereport.ca

Nuisance calls still plaguing 911 system, fining abusers proposed

News | January 10, 2024

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Nuisance calls still plaguing 911 system, fining abusers proposed

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