A recent 911 call in Peel in which a man complained about his hotel room has left police shaking their heads in frustration after years of trying to reduce the number of such inappropriate \u201cemergency\u201d calls.<\/p>\n
Peel Regional Police Const. Tyler Bell-Morena said in a minute-long video posted to social media on Wednesday such calls are \u201cridiculous\u201d and, well beyond that, can endanger the lives of people trying to contact a 911 dispatcher for a legitimate emergency.<\/p>\n
A recording of the 911 call, which can be heard in the post below, indicates the caller has complaints about a hotel room they\u2019ve rented, particularly a claim they\u2019re not getting their money refunded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s still not a reason to call the police,\u201d Bell-Morena says in the video, the latest such police post that\u2019s part of an ongoing effort in recent years to educate people to the proper use of the emergency number.<\/p>\n
The 911 operator, meanwhile, can be heard clearly telling the caller their complaint is not a valid reason \u201cto call 911, or the police at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is an actual call our communications team received. While we can laugh at the absurdity of it, the reality is that tying up 9-1-1 for a bad hotel experience puts actual lives at risk.<\/p>\n
If you are ever unsure if your situation is an emergency, but it is NOT life-or-death or a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/DacbV5rvWs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Peel Regional Police (@PeelPolice) July 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Unfortunately, according to Peel police and first responders in other Ontario jurisdictions, such misuse of the 911 emergency system is not at all uncommon.<\/p>\n In fact, it can be a daily occurrence.<\/p>\n In 2023, more than half of the nearly 730,000 calls made to 911 in Mississauga and Brampton did not involve real emergencies, marking a dramatic uptick in such calls from previous years.<\/p>\n It was also the first time ever the number of inappropriate 911 calls in Peel topped 50 per cent of all calls to the emergency service<\/a>.<\/p>\n 911 misuse has to stop, police say<\/p>\n Peel police say misuse \u2014 either intentionally or accidentally \u2014 of the 911 system in Mississauga and Brampton has to stop.<\/p>\n \u201cImagine being under your bed and needing the police right now and you can\u2019t get through to 911 because someone like this is calling over a motel room; it\u2019s ridiculous,\u201d Bell-Morena says. \u201cIf you\u2019re unsure (who to call), really unsure, and it\u2019s not a life-or-death emergency or a crime in progress, call our non-emergency line (905-453-3311).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInappropriate\u201d 911 calls include misdials\/pocket dials, calls from people who don\u2019t know what qualifies as a legitimate 911 emergency and calls from people who are deliberately misusing the system, police said earlier.<\/p>\n Peel police have been trying for years to get the rate of non-emergency calls to 911<\/a> down to a more acceptable number through several public awareness\/social media education campaigns each year.<\/p>\n Lives could be endangered<\/p>\n Such efforts are crucial, police say, as non-emergency 911 calls take the time and attention of dispatchers away from real emergencies where people\u2019s lives could be in danger.<\/p>\n Peel politicians considered a couple of years ago going beyond public awareness initiatives to introduce cash fines for people who make negligent 911 calls<\/a> in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.<\/p>\n However, that plan was suspended in early 2025<\/a> when officials decided instead to give new technology a chance to address the problem.<\/p>\n Following 2023, when 728,394 calls to 911 were made in Peel, 767,966 calls were made in 2024 and 637,645 calls in 2025.<\/p>\n Of the 2025 number of 911 calls, 16 per cent were accidental\/non-emergency calls, Peel Region numbers show.<\/p>\n \u201cSimple steps such as locking mobile devices and avoiding programming 911 into speed dial can help reduce accidental calls,\u201d regional officials said in a news release in April. \u201cIt\u2019s also important to teach children when and how to call 911 and how to recognize a real emergency. If 911 is called accidentally, callers should stay on the phone and let the operator know.\u201d<\/p>\n