Project Updates

As a result of Transformation Plan initiatives, E-Comm has achieved its strongest 9-1-1, emergency and non-emergency call-taking service levels in the last eight years.

So far in 2025, we have maintained the progress made in 2024 as we continue to exceed call-answer targets. From January 1 to June 30, 2025:

• 98% of 9-1-1 calls were answered within 5 seconds or less (target: 95%).
• Service levels for police emergency call-taking service performance reached 91% in the Lower Mainland and 91% on Vancouver Island (target: 88% of calls answered within 10 seconds).
• Year-to-date service levels for police non-emergency calls continue to exceed targets at 85% in the Lower Mainland, and 84% on Vancouver Island (target: 80% of calls answered within 3 minutes.
• Fire emergency call-taking reached its highest service level in recent years, at 96% (target: 90% of calls answered within 15 seconds).

Though we are seeing positive year-over-year progress in our service levels and stability in our staffing, we know call volumes tend to increase during the busy summer months with hot weather, wildfire activity and major events. E-Comm plans in advance for this peak time of year and takes steps to mitigate potential service level pressures as much as possible.

E-Comm’s dedicated non-emergency call-taking team and the implementation of new contact centre technology to enhance the caller experience continues to result in faster answering times and fewer abandoned calls than in previous years. Stabilizing and improving our non-emergency service has been a key transformation plan priority, beginning with the creation of a dedicated non-emergency call-taking team in 2023, process standardization, and the introduction of new interactive software in 2024 which offers non-emergency callers options including call back requests and wait time estimates.

For the period of January 1 to June 30, 2025, the rate of abandoned non-emergency calls in the Lower Mainland fell to 11% from 16% in 2024 and dropped to 15% on Vancouver Island as compared to 19% the year before. Average answering times were also faster in both regions at one minute (down from two minutes for the same period in 2024).

Our improved performance also saw police agency partners return to E-Comm for their 24-hour non-emergency call-taking service. In January 2025, the West Vancouver Police Department transitioned its full-time non-emergency call-taking back to E-Comm. In April, E-Comm also resumed full-time non-emergency call-taking for the New Westminster Police Department. We are also preparing to re-integrate full-time non-emergency call-taking for the Delta Police on August 6, 2025.

These renewed full-time call-taking relationships are one factor in the year-to-date growth of our non-emergency call volumes. Compared to the same period last year (January to June), we saw a 7% call volume increase in the Lower Mainland and a smaller 0.8% increase on Vancouver Island.

People are at the heart of E-Comm’s operations. Call takers and dispatchers are the first, first responders who provide critical help, reassurance, and support in emergency situations. Our Transformation Plan has focused on improving staff recruiting, retention and wellness through strategic initiatives including the development of new training and encouraging internal hiring opportunities for those who want to explore a new skillset.

From January to June, E-Comm continued to revamp the training process for call takers and dispatchers, with the goal of creating a more modern and effective experience which better reflects the real-world working environment. The redesigned approach involves a combination of e-learning modules, classroom instruction, and peer-supported on-the-job training.

Police agency-specific training has also been developed for new dispatchers, to ensure they are as prepared as possible for the individual needs and policies of our partners. Given their specialized skillset, dispatchers are in high demand throughout B.C. and staffing these critical positions remains a top priority. While the retention rates remained stable for this key work group in the first half of 2025, we continue to work on increasing opportunities for call takers to advance and excel as dispatchers.

On April 26, our call takers and dispatchers responded to a mass casualty incident at the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver. Our Lower Mainland communications centre received hundreds of calls, both through 9-1-1 and over the following days through non-emergency from those looking to share information and seek support. Additional staff came into work to offer help, and we were able to allocate extra resources to help manage the increased volume.

Our Peer Support teams were quickly engaged for those handling incredibly difficult calls with professionalism and compassion, and peer-led Critical Incident Support was also made available immediately. Over the following days, debriefs were led by psychologist Dr. Lisa Kitt, who specializes in first responder mental health. Protecting the well-being of our front-line team is paramount, along with ensuring ongoing support is available if needed.

E-Comm and its police, fire and ambulance partners are reviewing the April 26 incident response in order to further enhance systems and update procedures and policies associated with mass casualty events.

The impact of this tragedy is far-reaching, and our hearts remain with the family and friends who lost loved ones. We express deepest gratitude to all those who did their utmost to assist on that day, including members of the public, E-Comm staff, and our first responder partners from the Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, BC Emergency Health Services and others.

Our NG9-1-1 project team has been hard at work preparing for a major milestone: the phased launch of the new digital network in British Columbia.

The federally mandated implementation of NG9-1-1 will modernize 9-1-1 systems across Canada and will create the foundation for enhanced information sharing in the future, including real-time-text and video. The CRTC has set a deadline of March 31, 2027 for the national transition. E-Comm’s implementation will take place well in advance of that date through a phased migration anticipated to begin in the coming months.

E-Comm is leading the implementation of NG9-1-1 on behalf of the 25 regional districts where we provide 9-1-1 call-taking services, and the 70 police and fire agencies for whom we provide dispatch services, as well as our three other project partners: BCEHS, RCMP and Saanich Fire.

E-Comm’s project is just one part of a national shift to NG9-1-1 technology, and while we are leading this work on behalf of most public safety agencies in B.C., many others are completing this work independently and on their own time frames.

E-Comm’s project team has completed several essential steps, such as the core infrastructure build, and has been conducting thorough testing of system environments and necessary technical work. This major technology project represents the largest NG9-1-1 implementation in Canada and E-Comm’s top priority is to ensure a safe, resilient and reliable network that the public and first responders can rely on during emergencies.

In 2023, the Province provided E-Comm with $90 million to cover start-up and launch costs for NG91-1, which resulted in a significant savings for local governments. As we prepare for a phased transition to the NG9-1-1 network, we continue discussions with partners and all levels of government on the need for sustainable funding for the ongoing NG9-1-1 costs.

E-Comm is participating in the ongoing independent review of its governance, operations and finances announced by the Province in December 2024. The review also encompasses the broader structure of 9-1-1 and emergency communication services in British Columbia. Professional services and accounting firm EY (Ernst & Young) is overseeing the review process, and E-Comm has provided the review team and the province with recommended priorities, which include provincial responsibility for 9-1-1, new legislation and standards, and dedicated funding. E-Comm welcomes this review and has long supported calls by the Union of BC Municipalities, local governments, police chiefs and others for the province to take a larger role in the governance and funding of 9-1-1 services.

E-Comm announced its 2025-2026 Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting on June 25, naming Nancy Kotani as the incoming Board Chair. Kotani has served on the Board since 2020 and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role. E-Comm also welcomed a new Board member, while the remaining members, who are designated by shareholders, were reconfirmed for another term. The full list of Board Members is available here.

The Board also recognized outgoing Chair Doug Campbell for his passion for public safety and his steadfast commitment to the success and future of E-Comm. Doug Campbell served as Chair since 2016 and will remain as an independent director. During Mr. Campbell’s tenure, he oversaw some of the most transformative developments in the organization’s 26-year history, from the new Wide-Area Radio Network and the South Island 9-1-1/Police Dispatch centre, to laying the foundation for NG9-1-1. Mr. Campbell was also instrumental in overseeing the Board’s work on developing the Transformation Plan.

More information is available in E-Comm’s 2024 Annual Report and 2024 Financial Statements.

As we work to maintain our progress in strengthening E-Comm’s core emergency communications services, the organization is now shifting its focus and preparing business cases for future transformation projects.

• Facilities: adding a third emergency communications centre – E-Comm currently delivers 9-1-1, emergency and non-emergency call-taking and dispatch services from two post-disaster facilities in Vancouver and Saanich. A third call-taking facility is needed in the Lower Mainland to improve operational capacity, add critical redundancy, and support the growth of our team. Our existing back-up location will not be available beyond 2028, as the lease for that site will be ending. With a third facility, E-Comm will have the opportunity to create more than 100 call-taking seats along with enhanced training spaces. Locating a third site south of the Fraser would also provide closer-to-home work options for some staff, in support of greater employee retention and recruitment.

• Operations Digital Strategy – E-Comm is beginning work on a multi-year plan to help improve public safety and efficiency in our operations through the integration of new technology. We are looking at a variety of technological solutions to improve both our partner and public experience, more effectively manage workloads, further enhance training, and prepare for the future capabilities made possible with NG9-1-1.

• Technology Services Transformation Program – We are working to modernize our technology services and infrastructure at E-Comm to improve resiliency and reliability. This includes looking at cloud-based systems, replacing end-of-life tools and automating processes with the goal of creating a service-focused model and a better user experience.

We are grateful to our exceptional staff, along with our local government and agency partners, for helping to enable our progress to date.