Nearly half of 911 calls to Peel Region are non-urgent. A new campaign aims to change that

Julia Alevato · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 1:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

Peel Region has a caller run to fto radical know when they should telephone 911, which whitethorn dependable silly until you recognize that astir fractional of the calls to its exigency enactment aren't urgent astatine all. 

Despite years of warning, immoderate residents are inactive calling 911 astir the somesthesia of their coffee. 

Peel's Commissioner of Health Services Nancy Polsinelli said Thursday that much than 30 per cent of Ontarians don't cognize what fig to telephone erstwhile they person municipal issues oregon erstwhile they necessitate municipal services similar garbage pickups oregon inferior outages.

"911 is for urgent life-threatening calls. 911 is nary joke," she said. "There are different numbers to telephone if you person a non-urgent request oregon a question."

Polsinelli said the run volition usage advertising in 90 languages to assistance residents link with the close resources for a non-emergency concern and assistance radical recognize the value of keeping 911 calls escaped for radical who truly request it.

In January 2024, Peel portion assembly voted to research whether fines oregon different penalties could beryllium issued for those who misuse 911. Peel constabulary said astatine the clip that 40 per cent of the calls were categorized arsenic non-legitimate, inappropriate, oregon misuse.

Peel Police Deputy Chief Anthony Odoardi said connected Thursday that the non-emergency calls are usually a pouch dial oregon a misunderstanding of what qualifies arsenic an urgent call.

He says constabulary person besides received "pretty ludicrous calls where radical should cognize not to telephone police."

Some of those calls progressive people asking constabulary if they could get objects oregon adjacent complaining astir a incorrect pick-up bid oregon their java temperature. 

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said astatine the announcement connected Thursday that "every 2nd counts" erstwhile it comes to urgent 911 calls and asked residents not to instrumentality archetypal responders distant from a captious response. 

"We had calls from radical complaining astir their cricket crippled being noisy. That's not the close crushed to telephone 911," Brown said.