9-1-1 call transfer requests ‘more popular than anticipated’ in Ottawa

A smartphone is shown with 911 dialed on its touchscreen in this promotional police photo. (Supplied/Ontario Provincial Police)

Ottawa’s 9-1-1 operators are receiving dozens of requests each month to transfer calls to another city in North America.

Since 2023, the City of Ottawa has had an agreement with a third-party provider to allow operators to transfer 9-1-1 calls to any other jurisdiction.

A report for the emergency preparedness and protective services committee shows there was an average of 75 to 80 call transfer requests per month, with many related to wellness checks.

“This service has proven more popular than anticipated,” staff said in the report.

“All residents now have a more efficient and streamlined way to request emergency help for friends, family or loved ones in other cities.”

Ottawa businessman Michael Wood advocated for 9-1-1 services to have the ability to transfer calls after trying to call 9-1-1 for his brother in Toronto.

“I could not call 9-1-1 here in Ottawa and be transferred to Toronto. When I called Toronto non-emergency because the system in 2023 does not allow for the call to be transferred, I was on hold for an hour-plus,” Wood told the committee in May 2024.

Ottawa residents requesting an emergency service, such as a wellness check for someone living in another city, can dial 9-1-1 and request to be connected to 9-1-1 services in that city.

Previously residents who wanted to report an emergency or request a wellness check in another city would have needed to hang up and find the non-emergency number for the local police service.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Ted Raymond