Updates from E-Comm 9-1-1 | 911 in British Columbia

September 2026 Update

We’re pleased to share our monthly update highlighting key activities at E-Comm as we enhance our services for first responder partners and the public. View the PDF version of this update here.

Service level targets exceeded for 9-1-1, police call-taking

9-1-1 service saw 97% of calls answered in 5 seconds or less (target: 95%). Emergency police call-taking reached 91% in the Lower Mainland, and 90% on Vancouver Island (target: 88% of calls answered in 10 seconds). Non-emergency call-taking was at 80% in the Lower Mainland, (target: 75% of calls answered in 3 minutes or less). Non-emergency reached 85% for Vancouver Island, (target: 80% of calls answered in 3 minutes or less).

Non-emergency service level change

The target for non-emergency calls answered within three minutes has been updated from 80% to 75% for the Lower Mainland. This reflects the service level agreed with E-Comm’s funding partners and the resources allocated to deliver this target.

Fire service levels

Fire call-taking reached 94% (target: 90% of calls answered in 15 seconds), continuing the trend of strong service for fire agency partners despite a +5% increase in call volume comparative to the previous year.

Call volumes continue to increase

9-1-1 (+1%), police emergency (+0.5% Lower Mainland, +1.5% Island) and non-emergency call volumes (+3.6% Lower Mainland, +2.8% Island) were all up from the same period last year.

Action Plan updates

E-Comm continues to implement its Action Plan in response to the independent provincial review. Below are some key recommendations we advanced this month:

Finance Management: Following Board approval of the new financial model, E-Comm has spent much of the summer consulting with municipalities and agencies, while gathering feedback.
Operational Resiliency: Two business cases will go to the Board in September to advance Action Plan priorities. One focuses on strengthening cybersecurity and the resilience of critical systems, while the other looks at to improve efficiency and reduce costs in non-emergency call-taking services.
Stakeholder Engagement: E-Comm is planning to shift focus in the fall to strategy development and governance changes.

Other updates

Next Generation 9-1-1 – E-Comm will soon begin its phased migration to the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) network, marking a significant milestone in British Columbia’s broader transition to a modernized emergency telecommunications system. Staggered migrations will start September 22^nd and will continue until the end of November 2026. Last week, E-Comm emailed its communications guide and partner toolkit containing information on the NG9-1-1 transition - including key messages, public education materials, and resources.
Back-to-School Campaign: One of E-Comm’s police call-takers shared safety tips for parents during our annual back-to-school media campaign. After three on-camera interviews, 13 unique media stories were generated. Video posted to social media has so far been viewed over 35,00 times. A big thank you to our partners for re-sharing online! The full news release can be found