Nova Scotians will be able to text 911 by 2026

Haley Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Nova Scotia volition soon rotation retired a caller 911 strategy based connected modern technology, which the state says volition springiness archetypal responders much accusation to assistance radical successful need.

The state has been investigating and preparing for next-generation 911 (NG911) for the past fewer years. The caller 911 strategy volition beryllium digital and volition let for quicker and much accessible connection during emergencies.

Dave Wilson, manager of 911 for the Department of Emergency Management, said the caller 911 strategy volition beryllium capable to judge substance messages and pinpoint a caller's determination utilizing planetary positioning strategy technology. The existent strategy tin way calls from landlines, but it's much hard to pinpoint an nonstop determination from cellphone calls.

"The much close we tin beryllium to relay that accusation connected to those responding units is highly important successful times of emergencies," Wilson said Friday.

Wilson said radical with code oregon proceeding impairments person been capable to registry to substance 911 nether the existent system, but this removes that other measurement and opens it up for each Nova Scotians.

Texting mightiness besides assistance idiosyncratic successful a unsafe concern wherever they indispensable stay silent.

In 2017, the CRTC mandated each telephone and compartment work companies crossed the state to update their networks. The deadline for completion was primitively March 2025 but was extended to March 2027.

Nova Scotia is up of the curve and expects to power precocious this year or aboriginal successful 2026.

Wilson said the 2nd signifier of the strategy volition judge photos and video within "the adjacent fewer years."

This could prevention captious clip successful situations similar a location fire, Wilson said. Sending a video of the blaze to 911, which would then share it with a occurrence service, could assistance crews fig retired what instrumentality and unit are required earlier they adjacent get connected the scene.

Wilson said technological upgrades to the dispatch models for immoderate agrarian occurrence departments volition beryllium needed for them to afloat payment from the caller system.

The dispatch strategy is portion of the upcoming reappraisal of occurrence work successful Nova Scotia. Wilson said immoderate the result of that process, they volition enactment with those groups to "ensure that they get each the accusation they need."

Terry Canning, erstwhile archetypal vice-president of the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia, said it's important to amended the patchwork of "less than stellar" occurrence dispatch services that simply don't person the resources to pat into the caller system.

"I deliberation the top payment volition beryllium the consolidation … of occurrence dispatch into a overmuch more robust and resilient, reliable work crossed the province," Canning said.

The state volition rotation retired a nationalist acquisition run successful the coming months astir the caller 911 system, Wilson said. 

He said the section won't tolerate "any benignant of abuse" of the service, and radical sending fake exigency texts could beryllium fined.

NG911 is already being utilized successful immoderate areas of the United States. 

Wilson said the state has chosen Intrado Life & Safety to present the caller 911 system. The institution volition besides supply the work for parts of Quebec.