{"id":576435,"date":"2026-04-02T02:21:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T02:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/576435\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T02:21:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T02:21:29","slug":"new-3-digit-phone-number-for-non-emergencies-should-be-used-across-ontario-mpp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/576435\/","title":{"rendered":"New 3-digit phone number for non-emergencies should be used across Ontario: MPP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Concerned that 911 operators are often overwhelmed by calls that aren\u2019t emergencies, a Mississauga MPP has tabled a motion at Queen\u2019s Park to have a new three-digit non-emergency phone number implemented across Ontario.<\/p>\n

The Private Member\u2019s Public Business motion was introduced on Tuesday by Mississauga-Erin Mills MPP Sheref Sabawy. Subsequent debate in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is expected to take place in mid-May, the MPP said in a news release.<\/p>\n

If the motion passes, the Solicitor General would then explore the feasibility of implementing and standardizing a new number.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one should be discouraged from calling 911 for real emergencies. However, in cases of non-emergencies, Ontarians should instead contact their local police department using the non-emergency phone line to keep 911 clear,\u201d said Sabawy. \u201cBy adopting a three-digit number, we can make it easier for Ontarians to quickly remember and call the police\u2019s non-emergency phone line.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MPP added his proposal recognizes the 911 phone system is \u201cfrequently overwhelmed by calls which are not emergencies in nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mississauga-Erin Mills MPP Sheref Sabawy has introduced a motion calling for a new three-digit non-emergency phone number.<\/p>\n

Sabawy noted between 35 and 45 per cent of daily 911 calls in regions such as Peel and Toronto are non-emergencies, which \u201cwaste 911 operators\u2019 time and delay real emergencies from getting immediate emergency support.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

The motion on the table proposes the implementation of a three-digit phone number that would redirect non-emergency calls to the local police department\u2019s existing non-emergency phone line, bypassing busy 911 dispatch services.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the MPP said, the motion proposes \u201cstandardizing the number province-wide so that all municipalities share the same number.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sabawy\u2019s efforts received support from Mississauga city council in February<\/a>, when Mayor Carolyn Parrish said she\u2019d send a letter to the provincial government backing the idea of a new non-emergency number.<\/p>\n

Police forces across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond, including Peel Regional Police, have long complained that too many non-emergency calls are being fielded by 911 emergency operators. Such interactions delay emergency call-takers in getting to callers with legitimate crisis situations to report.<\/p>\n

Police and municipalities have regularly tried to educate the public on the proper use of the 911 system, defining emergencies and insisting non-emergency calls be made using the more traditional 10-digit local police numbers available in towns and cities across Ontario.<\/p>\n

However, the public largely tends to call 911 instead of taking the time to look for the appropriate non-emergency police phone number online or elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Last August, Toronto Police launched a new three-digit number for non-emergencies \u2014 *TPS, or *877 \u2014 in an effort to reduce the number of such calls to 911.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis feature lets residents quickly reach non-emergency services with an easy-to-remember three-digit number,\u201d Toronto Police said at the time.<\/p>\n

The *877 number, however, is available only for wireless devices and not yet accessible from landlines.<\/p>\n

Still, Sabawy said in this week\u2019s news release, Toronto Police received more than 11,000 phone calls to the new three-digit number in the first four months since its introduction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis success has prompted calls for other municipalities to likewise adopt a three-digit non-emergency number,\u201d the MPP stated in the release.<\/p>\n


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