February 10, 2015

 

Tomorrow is 211 Day across North America. To mark 211 Day, the City of Toronto and the 211 Ontario helpline are partnering to educate residents on how to make the right call if they want or need help.

 

211 is answered live, 24 hours a day, every day of the year including holidays. Residents are encouraged to call 211 for services such as food banks if they are hungry, mental health support if they are in crisis, or for the non-emergency police number if they need the police but it is not an emergency. More information is available at http://211ontario.ca.

 

“211 is your one call to find services that are provided by any of the three levels of government, charities and non-profits," said Councillor James Pasternak (Ward 10 York Centre), Chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee. "Residents can be connected to everything from finding the phone number for Telehealth Ontario to tax clinics for seniors and low-income people to homework clubs and seniors’ centres. 211 helps deliver essential services to Toronto's diverse communities."

 

"Knowing the right number to call will help residents find the right services for their situation," said Gary Yorke, Director of 311 Toronto. "It also has the potential to reduce non-urgent calls to 911 from residents."

 

• Call 311 for information about municipal services such as garbage collection, graffiti or litter and snow removal. 

• Call 211 for information about community, social and health services if you don’t know where to turn with a problem. 

• Call 911 for threats or harm to a person or property that require police, fire or paramedic services.

 

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://bit.ly/1E3aXD7

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

 

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Media contacts: 

David Clark, Strategic Communications, 416-392-7542, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Destiny Bedwell, Ontario 211 Services, 416-777-0211, ext. 225, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.