National

CRTC delays implementation of next-generation 911 service for two years

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Mar, 2025 11:54 AM

Next-generation 911 service — which would allow Canadians to send texts or video to summon help — won’t be implemented for another two years.

The CRTC had set Tuesday as the date for transitioning to next-generation 911 but the telecom regulator now says it has moved that deadline to March 2027.

In a Friday decision, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) acknowledged the delay means "Canadians will have to wait longer for the enhancements" the new systems will bring.

In its initial 2017 decision on modernizing 911 networks, the CRTC said that next-generation 911 service would allow Canadians to "stream video from an emergency incident, send photos of accident damage or a fleeing suspect, or send personal medical information, including accessibility needs, which could greatly aid emergency responders.”

The CRTC said it concluded that extending the deadline "is the only workable solution to ensure uninterrupted access to the emergency services that Canadians need."

It said that while telecoms are ready for the move, most provincial, territorial and municipal emergency services are not.

The CRTC said it was warned by multiple groups — including those representing police, fire and paramedic chiefs — that without a deadline extension, some Canadians could lose access to 911 service.

The regulator said that would have posed an unacceptable risk to public safety.

Only three of Canada’s 242 emergency services call centres had launched next-generation services as of April 2024. The CRTC predicted the "vast majority" won’t complete that transition until the end of 2026.

The call centres "have faced multiple challenges, including the need for greater technical expertise and limited vendor availability for testing, which have created a bottleneck and slowed down the transition," the CRTC's decision said.

The CRTC has asked emergency services chiefs to report back by Aug. 28 with a "comprehensive plan" that explains how 911 call centres "will meet the new deadline or will make alternative arrangements."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Landslide on tracks stops Amtrak passenger runs between Seattle and Vancouver

A landslide that blocked railway tracks has stopped Amtrak passenger service between Vancouver and Seattle. Amtrak says in a statement Thursday that the landslide near White Rock, B.C., led Burlington Northern Santa Fa Railway to place a 48-hour moratorium on passenger service.

Landslide on tracks stops Amtrak passenger runs between Seattle and Vancouver

Emissions in Canada fell last year, though still far off Paris targets

For the first time since the pandemic, Canada had a year-over-year decline in its greenhouse gas emissions — though it is still a long way off its 2030 target. A preliminary emissions report Thursday from the federal government shows greenhouse gases emitted in 2023 fell by six million tonnes compared to 2022, the equivalent to what about 1.4 million passenger vehicles emit over the course of a year.

Emissions in Canada fell last year, though still far off Paris targets

Forfeited Hells Angels clubhouse in Kelowna sold to the city

A former Hells Angels clubhouse that was seized by the British Columbia government in 2023 after years of fighting in court has been sold to the City of Kelowna. A statement from Public Safety Minister Garry Begg says the sale of the home in Kelowna includes a "right of entry," which means the province's civil forfeiture office can take the property back if it is ever acquired and used for organized crime in the future.

Forfeited Hells Angels clubhouse in Kelowna sold to the city

Dozens get sick with 'norovirus-like' illness after eating raw B.C. oysters

Health officials in British Columbia say at least 64 people have become sick after eating raw oysters from restaurants and retail locations. A statement from the BC Centre for Disease Control and the provincial health authority says the "norovirus-like" gastrointestinal illnesses have been reported since Nov. 1 in the Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and Island Health regions.

Dozens get sick with 'norovirus-like' illness after eating raw B.C. oysters

Vancouver Police Union criticizes assault case's handling after officer's suicide

The president of the Vancouver Police Union has criticized the handling of a sexual assault case that ended in the suicide of a Central Saanich Police officer. Ralph Kaisers says in a letter to members that was obtained by The Canadian Press that the "tragic loss" of the officer came after public statements that risked "undermining the presumption of innocence."

Vancouver Police Union criticizes assault case's handling after officer's suicide

Attempted murder charges for woman who tried to drive car with kids into B.C. river

Police in Delta say a woman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to drive a car carrying two young children into the Fraser River last month. Delta police say officers had responded to an incident on Nov. 29 on River Road where they found a car stuck on the foreshore of the river.