CRTC launches consultation on 988 mental health phone service

The CRTC has launched a consultation on the 988 phone and texting service across the country. The 988 number is used for mental health support and suicide prevention, and has been operational since 2023. The 988 phone service aims to connect people in need of support with local distress centres which would then recommend appropriate action and try to keep clients safe. The service is administered by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and delivered by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). In theory, all calls to 988 should go to local distress centres, however, this has not always been the case, according to the centre. The CAMH wants to change that. The present routing method uses the caller’s phone number area code to determine which local distress centre should receive the call. But under number portability rules, a person may keep their number even if they move out of a specific area code. This has led to calls going to the wrong region. The CAMH suggests using local direct inward dialing (DID) numbers instead. This would route calls based on network entry points. The new method would employ local routing numbers (LRNs) to send the calls to the nearest response centre rather than one located in the caller’s original area code. The CAMH believes using DID would also improve the resiliency of the 988 network. The current system is more susceptible to widespread outages due to a lack of redundancies, it told the commission. Using local DIDs, a local outage could be corrected by routing calls to in-service DIDs at nearby response centres. The CRTC is willing to consider other methods to improve the service. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission has mandated wireless carriers to use geo-routing for 988 calls. Geo-routing switches calls based on the geographic location of where the call is placed. The CRTC also wants to ensure anonymity of callers. Both the CAMH and alternative proposals should guarantee callers cannot be identified if they do not want to be. Under the CAMH proposal, response centres can determine the region from which the phone call is made, but not the exact location. The regulator has issued a series of nine questions looking at the 988 topic. The questions deal with matters such as the use of DIDs, the timeline for implementation, alternative solutions, and the costs of modifications. Interventions must be received by Feb. 26 with replies due on March 10. ppark@thewirereport.ca

CRTC launches consultation on 988 mental health phone service

Regulatory |
By Paul Park
| January 27, 2025

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CRTC launches consultation on 988 mental health phone service

Regulatory | By Paul Park | January 27, 2025

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