Close X
Sunday, January 26, 2025
ADVT 
National

Toronto May Join Growing Number Of American Cities With 911 Texting

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Jul, 2016 01:26 PM
    TORONTO — A city council vote this week could set Toronto on the path to becoming the first jurisdiction in Canada where all residents can send text messages to 911 operators instead of calling them. 
     
    Coun. Norm Kelly is calling on the city to request that the Toronto Police Services Board consider adopting emergency texting.   
     
    Many parts of Canada, including Toronto and 500 other Ontario communities, offer 911 texting for people with hearing or speech impairments.
     
    Text service for people with special needs also exists in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, most of Quebec, and parts of Alberta and British Columbia.   
     
    But emergency texting for people without hearing or speech impairment is not available anywhere in Canada. 
     
    In January, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission started a consultation process to create a regulatory framework for what it calls "next generation 911." The CRTC said this program could potentially include extending 911 texting to all Canadians.
     
    Kelly said calling 911 would still be the preferred means of communication, "but there could be circumstances where your safety's at risk, and/or you want to pass on more information than you could in a telephone call, (like) a photograph or video."
     
     
    He said that, after he tweeted about his motion, he heard from several people who said they had been in situations in which texting 911 would have made them feel safer than calling. 
     
    During the June 12 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., several bar patrons, afraid to draw the shooter's attention by speaking to 911 operators, texted friends and family to ask them to call for help.
     
    In the United States, just over 650 of the country's 6,000 emergency call centres accept 911 text messages.
     
    Since 2014, the U.S. Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) has required all wireless service providers to make 911 texting available to any emergency call centres that request it.  
     
    Many of the jurisdictions using 911 texting in the U.S. promote the service with the slogan, "Call if you can, text if you can't."
     
    Kelly's motion will be tabled in a council session that starts Tuesday and continues Wednesday. 

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Saskatchewan Feared 'Less Palatable' Options In Agreeing To CPP Reform

    Saskatchewan Feared 'Less Palatable' Options In Agreeing To CPP Reform
    The federal government reached an agreement with most of the provinces Monday to revamp the program for the first time in nearly two decades.

    Saskatchewan Feared 'Less Palatable' Options In Agreeing To CPP Reform

    Medical Rescue Plane On Way To South Pole To Pick Up Sick Worker From Station

    Medical Rescue Plane On Way To South Pole To Pick Up Sick Worker From Station
    The National Science Foundation says one of two Twin Otters owned by Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air was expected to arrive Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET.

    Medical Rescue Plane On Way To South Pole To Pick Up Sick Worker From Station

    Neighborhood Watch: Online Startups Tackle Local News

    Neighborhood Watch: Online Startups Tackle Local News
    NEW YORK — A handful of new startups are tackling a thorny problem that AOL couldn't solve with zillions of dollars: How to cover local news in different cities without going broke.

    Neighborhood Watch: Online Startups Tackle Local News

    Pregnant Woman, Mrs. Claus Among 72 New Emojis

    Pregnant Woman, Mrs. Claus Among 72 New Emojis
    MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — A face representing "rolling on the floor laughing" and a hand taking a selfie are among 72 new emojis that will soon make their way to your smartphone.

    Pregnant Woman, Mrs. Claus Among 72 New Emojis

    Dead Body Discovered On Kelowna’s Black Mountain Area

    Dead Body Discovered On Kelowna’s Black Mountain Area
    The investigation is in its early stages and the RCMP will provide updated information as it becomes available.

    Dead Body Discovered On Kelowna’s Black Mountain Area

    Woman Spat On, Has Hijab Pulled During Unprovoked Attack In London, Ont. Supermarket

    Woman Spat On, Has Hijab Pulled During Unprovoked Attack In London, Ont. Supermarket
    Police are looking for a female suspect after a woman was punched, spat on and had her hijab pulled in a London, Ont., supermarket.

    Woman Spat On, Has Hijab Pulled During Unprovoked Attack In London, Ont. Supermarket