CRTC approves 988 crisis number, won’t start until next year

Following months of discussion, the CRTC has finally implemented the use of 988 as an emergency number for health care crises and suicide prevention services. In a lengthy decision released Wednesday, the commission said migration to 10-digit dialing is needed to facilitate the 988 code. Telecom service providers (TSPs) have until May 31 of next year to transition. 988 services must be implemented by Nov. 30, 2023 or within six months of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) determining to which 1-8XX numbers calls to the three-digit number should be routed. It has been a long road to get to this point. In Washington, the Federal Communications Commission determined in 2019 that 988 should be used as an emergency number. That service started in July. A motion to implement 988 in Canada passed unanimously in the House of Commons on Dec. 11, 2020. The motion was brought forward by British Columbia MP Todd Doherty. “Today, more than 600 days since parliamentarians unanimously supported my motion to bring a national three-digit suicide prevention hotline to Canada, the CRTC has finally announced that 9-8-8 will be implemented and accessible to Canadians by November 2023,” the Conservative said in a statement. “While the continued delays have been frustrating and unnecessary, today’s announcement is great news and a step in the right direction.” Last spring Doherty introduced a private member’s bill seeking the establishment of 988 service. The move had bipartisan support. Shortly after the CRTC released its decision Wednesday, PHAC responded with a news release of its own. “As we prepare for the introduction of 988 in Canada, PHAC is pleased to announce that the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has been selected as the organization to lead coordination of service delivery for the national three-digit number” the agency announced. “As a first step, CAMH will develop partnerships and collaborations with key organizations across Canada to start building capacity, and engage with stakeholders to inform the scope and requirements of a timely, quality service.” There was discussion during CRTC hearings about whether the implementation of 988 should be uniform or phased in. Most parties proposed a one-time deployment. The commission agreed, stating that phasing in the implementation could lead to people in areas not served by 988 calling the number and finding no help available. Minister of Addictions and Mental Health Carolyn Bennett had suggested that rollout of the number might be limited to urban areas at first. While hearing the application for 988, the regulator also determined it would hold a proceeding into a Part 1 application from BCE Inc.’s Northwestel on 10-digit dialing. The northern ILEC proposed mandatory 10-digit dialing in the Yellowknife local interconnection region (LIR) and non-mandatory in the rest of the 867 area code. The numbering plan area (NPA) for the north is not expected to be exhausted until 2043. The commission lowered the time frame for implementing permissive 10-digit dialing from three or four months to just two months. This will affect three regions: the territories, Newfoundland and Labrador NPA 709 and Ontario NPA 807. New Brunswick NPA 506 is already transitioning to 10-digit dialing. The CRTC considered three methods of routing 988 calls. One scenario would see calls sent directly to various suicide prevention centres, another would employ 911 services and the last would translate calls to a 1-8XX number. The commission chose the 1-8XX option. It also directed the TSPs to work with 988 service providers to prepare an awareness campaign of the service once it is up and running. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca

CRTC approves 988 crisis number, won’t start until next year

News | August 31, 2022

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CRTC approves 988 crisis number, won’t start until next year

News | August 31, 2022

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