For the first time, people in the Northwest Territories will be able to dial 911 if they find themselves in an emergency.
Before that, residents had to dial a separate local prefix followed by 1111 for police or 2222 for fire or ambulance services.
The N.W.T. government rolled out the basic service across the territory's 33 communities on Monday.
The plan had been in the works since 2017, but Bill 31, the Northwest Territories 911 Act, didn’t pass in the Legislative Assembly until March of this year.
According to the territory’s Municipal and Community Affairs website, the service will be available in English, French and, through interpreters, all nine of the territory's official Indigenous languages.
Those nine Indigenous languages are Chipewyan/Dené, Cree, Gwich'in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tlicho.
Where a service doesn’t exist or is temporarily unavailable to respond, operators will be able to provide over-the-phone guidance to address immediate health or safety risks.
The government says at least one operator will be available to answer calls around the clock.
Yukon implemented a territory-wide 911 service in 2016.
Nunavut still does not have one.
The old emergency dispatch numbers are expected to continue working a little while longer while N.W.T. residents adjust to the new service.
