August 23, 2001 | Read Time: 1 minute
Canadian regulators have given approval to United Way of Canada to set up a national network of phone referral centers to provide information about community, health, and social services to anybody who dials 211.
The system is similar to one approved by regulators in the United States a year ago.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission said the referral number should deflect some of the non-emergency calls from busy 911 operators. “The 211 service will help the public find the right person or agency much faster,” said David Colville, chairman of the commission.
The 24-hour phone service, staffed by social workers, will open in Toronto next year and then spread to other Canadian cities over the next decade.
United Way is looking for corporate donors to help provide the estimated one million in Canadian dollars, or about $650,000, that the 211 service will cost. Many municipalities, regional and provincial governments, volunteer centers, and community medical services have expressed support for the 211 proposal.
In the United States, the first 211 centers have opened in Connecticut and Georgia, and plans are under way for others to start soon. Information on the 211 system in Canada and the United States is available at http://www.211.org.
