Mississauga city council has formally endorsed a proposal to introduce a new three-digit phone number for non-emergency police calls, aiming to reduce pressure on the 911 emergency system.
Mayor Carolyn Parrish confirmed that she will send a letter to the provincial government supporting the initiative spearheaded by Mississauga-Erin Mills MPP Sheref Sabawy. The proposal calls for approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which would also determine the specific three-digit number if the request is granted.
Police services across the Greater Toronto Area — including Peel Regional Police — have repeatedly raised concerns about the volume of non-emergency calls being directed to 911. Officials say such calls can slow response times for genuine emergencies, potentially placing lives at risk.
Despite ongoing public education campaigns urging residents to use local 10-digit non-emergency numbers for routine matters, many callers continue to default to 911 rather than searching for the appropriate contact information.
The discussion gained momentum at a recent general committee meeting, where Sabawy attended to gather municipal and police support for the initiative. Deputy Mayor and Ward 4 Councillor John Kovac urged council to formally support the effort, arguing that an easy-to-remember number would provide residents with quicker access to assistance without burdening emergency lines.
Ward 6 Councillor Joe Horneck echoed those sentiments, noting that residents frequently turn to neighbourhood online chat groups asking for the correct non-emergency police number — a clear sign, he said, of public demand for a simpler solution.
Toronto has already introduced a similar approach. Last August, the Toronto Police Service launched *TPS (*877) for non-emergency calls from mobile phones, an initiative aimed at diverting routine inquiries away from 911. However, that number is currently limited to wireless devices and is not accessible from landlines.
If approved at the federal level, a standardized three-digit number for non-emergency police calls could be implemented more broadly, providing residents with a consistent and accessible alternative to 911 while preserving emergency lines for urgent situations.