The Government of Nunavut isn’t doing enough to develop a territorial 911 emergency call service, according to Iqaluit-Manirajak MLA Adam Arreak Lightstone.
The RCMP receive around 16,000 calls per year, Lightsone said, and Iqaluit alone has four different emergency phone numbers.
“I don’t think the government is putting enough resources to even begin the process of setting up a 911 service," Lightsone told Nunavut News.
Nunavut is one of the only places in Canada without 911 service, along with some northern Ontario communities.
Lightstone has been advocating in the territorial legislature for 911 service since November, and on May 23, he asked Community Services Minister David Akeeagok, what progress the government had made.
Akeeagok told the legislature that the GN is talking with the federal government, municipalities and emergency services about how to set up a service.
“There’s a lot of work... to try and build a 911. At this time we don’t have that capability,” Akeeagok said.
It remains unclear why the territorial government hasn’t made any progress on setting up a 911 service, Lightsone said.
Legislation may be required to establish a centralized call centre, which was the case when the Northwest Territories implemented its own territorial emergency number in 2019, suggested Lightstone.
The NWT took four years to implement its 911 service after that territory’s legislature officially recommended implementing the service.
Nunavut should “ideally” set up a 911 call centre with four official languages within two years, Lightstone said.
Existing buildings could house emergency dispatch with funding coming from the territory, the MLA suggested, adding that there would be coordination among first responders.
“I hope that with the new budget cycle coming up, some resources would be set aside to begin the development of a new call centre,” Lightstone said.
The call centre may eventually need to handle more than just voice calls. In 2017, the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) mandated that all 911 services implement video, photo, text message, and caller ID capabilities. That’s something Lightstone wants to see implemented in Nunavut.
