A new Saskatchewan Crown corporation will manage 911 calls in the province.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) will also be responsible for provincial emergency dispatching services at a new facility in Prince Albert except for Regina and Saskatoon.
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Government Relations Minister Larry Doke said the new Crown and facility will help meet the needs of a growing province while transforming the way emergency services are delivered.
“Saskatchewan has grown immensely over the last decade and this new model is ideally suited to ensure communication services continue to be delivered in the most effective, efficient way possible with our experienced staff,” Doke said in a release.
“Under this new structure, governance will be streamlined and the province will be in a better position to meet future needs and expand emergency services accordingly.”
Regina and Saskatoon will continue to have its own emergency dispatching services, and will continue to report to the government through the new Crown agency.
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The government also announced that 911 emergency service fees for landlines and cellphones is going up by 32 cents to 94 cents a month effective Jan. 1, 2018.
Government officials said 911 fees have not been adjusted since 2010 and the call-taking fees for landlines has not increased since 2003.
Revenue generated from the fee supports emergency services, infrastructure and dispatching and is not remitted to the province’s general revenue fund.
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