Some Mississauga residents who dial 311 for city services are being connected to the wrong municipality.

Ward 10 Coun. Sue McFadden raised the problem at city council last week, saying residents in northwest Mississauga have complained that their 311 calls are being answered by Halton Region's service line. Her own call to the city's line also ended up in Halton, INsauga reported on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

McFadden said the issue had come up before and seemed to have been brought under control, but was back. Residents were especially frustrated when they could not reach Mississauga's 311 during a recent snowstorm, she said. She asked city IT staff to look at what could be done to make sure residents are directed to the right line.

311 is the non-emergency number residents use to get information from the city or report local problems. The three-digit number is in wide use by municipalities across Canada and the United States.

A network problem, city says

A city spokesperson told INsauga that the misrouting is not a fault in the city's own systems, but a broader telecommunications issue that happens more often near municipal boundaries.

Calls are sometimes directed based on the cell tower, IP address or service provider configuration rather than the caller’s physical location. This is outside of the City of Mississauga’s direct control.

— City of Mississauga spokesperson, to INsauga

The spokesperson said the problem mostly affects cellphones, along with Wi-Fi calling and internet-based phone services. Traditional landlines are generally less affected because they are tied to a fixed address.

Geography plays a big part. West Mississauga, east Mississauga and Malton sit close to Halton, Toronto and Brampton, so phones there may connect to network equipment in those neighbouring municipalities.

The city said it also receives 311 calls meant for other municipalities, and that misdirected callers are transferred between cities when that happens. Because 311 is a shared short code rather than a number assigned only to Mississauga, the spokesperson said, some misrouting can happen from time to time.

How to reach the city

Mississauga's 311 line handles non-emergency questions and reports about city services. Residents who land in the wrong place can reach it directly at 905-615-4311, the number for calling the line from outside city limits.

For emergencies, call 911.