The fee for 911 we all pay on our phone bills is doubling and will increase in future in line with the consumer price index.
In a release issued Monday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency stated the monthly Sask911 Fee will be increasing from $0.94 per month to $1.88 per month, effective April 7, 2021.
鈥淚n preparation for system upgrades and to ensure that the residents of Saskatchewan can continue to depend on timely and efficient emergency services, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is upgrading its 911 technology,鈥� stated the release.
In order to fund these upgrades and maintain essential 911 services for Saskatchewan the fees will be going.听The provincial 911 system is funded through these fees, which are applied to all phone bills.
The 911 fees have not been adjusted since January 2018, the release points out.
鈥淭he citizens of Saskatchewan rely on 911 technology in order to receive police, fire and emergency medical assistance when they need it the most,鈥� SPSA President Marlo Pritchard said. 鈥淭he existing system is ageing, and these upgrades are required to ensure that Saskatchewan residents can continue to rely on secure, resilient 911 technology.鈥�
In the future, these fee increases will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index for Saskatchewan to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the system without requiring regulatory changes.
In 2020, 911 received 470,000 calls by the three Sask911 Public Safety Answering Points in the province.
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