CRTC directs working group to issue 988 routing plan by next May

The CRTC has rejected a 988 service routing plan proposed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and has given the commission’s working group six months to come up with a better proposal. The 988 number is a phone number used by people who are suicidal and/or in mental distress and in need of free support. It is overseen by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and administered by CAMH. The present call 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 centre suggested a new location-based routing method in which the location routing number (LRN) of the serving switches would be used by telecom service providers (TSPs) to send 988 calls directly to the proper, more local response centre near someone using the service, not the national toll-free telephone number. The toll-free number would be used for calls from Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video relay service (VRS) users. The regulator began a proceeding to investigate the situation. BCE Inc., Bragg Communications Inc. (Eastlink), Quebecor Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. (SaskTel) and Telus Corp. all opposed the CAMH proposition. Eastlink and SaskTel said the plan would not work on their networks. READ MORE: - CAMH, telecoms disagree on improvements to 988 helpline service “Many parties indicated that the implementation timeline would likely be longer than six to eight months, as CAMH proposed, and that it would be costly to implement for telecommunications service providers (TSPs),” the CRTC reported. Many telecoms and the Canada Deaf Grassroots Movement suggested alternatives to the CAMH proposal. “The commission considers that the proposed alternative routing methods all have various limitations, including increased risk of routing errors and incompatibility with some TSPs’ networks,” the regulator noted. “The commission is of the view that the appropriate routing method, or combination of routing methods, must account for all TSPs’ networks, and that this outcome is best achieved through all TSPs working in collaboration with CAMH.” To that end, the CRTC is ordering its Interconnection Steering Committee Network Working Group to devise a new plan within six months. The working group has a deadline of May 27, 2026 to issue a new proposal. news@thewirereport.ca With files from The Wire Report’s archives.

CRTC directs working group to issue 988 routing plan by next May

Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
|November 27, 2025

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CRTC directs working group to issue 988 routing plan by next May

Regulatory | By Wire Report Staff |November 27, 2025

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By Wire Report Staff
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