Brampton Mayor Proposes Action Against Misuse of 911, Considers Fines for Offenders

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has put forward a motion aimed at addressing the prevalent issue of misusing the 911 emergency line in Peel region. During Thursday’s meeting, Brown requested an investigation by staff into the possibility of imposing fines or other penalties for the “negligent use of the 9-1-1 system.”

Highlighting the severity of the problem, Brown mentioned in an interview with Newstalk1010’s Moore in the Morning that an alarming 40 percent of 911 calls in the region were not genuine emergencies. He expressed concern about the increasing trend of misused calls, leading to undue pressure on the emergency services, causing legitimate emergencies to be delayed.

Brown emphasized that introducing fines might serve as a deterrent, prompting residents to reconsider whether their call truly constitutes an emergency. According to his motion, the Peel police communication centre handles around 1,800 emergency calls daily, with more than 40 percent (approximately 720 calls) being deemed “non-legitimate.”

The mayor revealed a troubling 27 percent increase in 911 calls since 2022, with over 100,000 calls made in the past two months alone. More than half of these calls were categorized as “hang-ups or non-emergent.” To underscore the issue, police released examples of such calls, including complaints about a wrong Tim Hortons order, a malfunctioning TV, and people playing cricket on a footpath.

Brown stressed that the surge in non-emergency calls has led to longer wait times for genuine emergency services, potentially jeopardizing urgent assistance for those in need. He expressed ongoing support for the efforts of Peel Regional Police to address this concern.

In a separate statement, Brown emphasized the importance of reserving the 911 system for true emergencies. Regional staff have been tasked with presenting recommendations in a future meeting to curb the misuse and abuse of emergency services.

Parvasi Media Group