211 service sought for the North.

A new telephone information service offering directory assistance for human and social services in northeastern Ontario will be up and running by the end of the year whether the CRTC gives its approval or not, officials say.

The service, which officials are hoping to provide via a 211 number, will supply callers with the telephone numbers to virtually every organization and service in the Timmins/Cochrane/Timiskaming region, from theatre groups to day care.

Non-profit and community organizations in communities across the country are awaiting the CRTC's decision to consider 211 as a central access point for human and service information and referrals (I and R). In northeastern Ontario, NEONet, a regional, nonprofit group that promotes the development of telecommunications and technology infrastructure, is leading the coalition working to bring the 211 service to the Timmins, Cochrane and Timiskaming areas.

NEONet director of operations Maggie Matear says a telephone information directory assistance system will be implemented regardless of whether or not the CRTC allows for a 211 centralized referral service.

"The 211 itself may take some time to actually apply, because (the CRTC) is going to be releasing some standards," Matear says. "Not just anyone can grab the 211 exchange and call themselves a 211 referral. It's like 911. So we would have to meet certain standards set out by the Association of Community Information Coalition Organizations. They set certain standards for things like who is answering the phone, the type of database you're using, and the standards your database is being maintained by. The idea is to standardize the service across the country."

But Matear says even if the CRTC doesn't give the project the green light, NEONet and its partners will still provide the service by way of a toll-free number.

"Even if we don't actually end up dialing 211, we're going to have a 1-800 number instead," Matear says. "I think the underlying concept, and the most important concept, here is the fact that there's going to be one central number that people can call with questions they have regarding human and social services."

In their current fragmented state, I and R services across Canada handle nearly 500,000 calls each year, Matear says. In northeastern Ontario there are several organizations offering I and R for specific issues, but no centralized call referral service.

The 211 service, she says, will make it possible for people to navigate the complex maze of human services agencies and programs while taking the pressure off the 911 service. Callers to 211 will speak to trained I and R personnel who will assess each caller's needs and use a database to refer the caller to the best agency.

Health, social services, housing, employment, child care training, recreation and support groups are among the services 211 can provide directory assistance for.

"We don't want to duplicate the tele-health service, but we want to help people find answers to all the other things that are related," Matear says.

"We also want to take a little bit of the pressure off 911. I've spoken to the local 911 person and he feels up to 50 per cent of the calls probably aren't actually 911 calls, but could be fielded through something like 211."

211 has been operating in United States' cities since 1999, and in mid 2000 the CRTC counterpart in the United States mandated 211 for national I and R use.

NEONet plans to roll out the service in Timmins first, where the majority of its partners for the initiative are located. Matear says the entire area, including Cochrane and Timiskaming, should see service by the end of next year.

Although the use of 211 in Canada has not yet been approved by the CRTC, similar systems using 10-digit numbers are currently in place in centres like Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.

Matear says implementing a 211 system in Canada, and specifically areas of the North, would allow agencies like the United Way and the Community Care Access Centre to combine databases to better serve the population.

There is a real need for a centralized coordination service such as this," Matear says, adding the service will also have an indirect impact on the local economy. "A lot of people end up leaving Northern Ontario because they say there are no facilities, there are no amenities, there are no services. That's not the case, it's just that they don't know where find them.

"We're looking at this to improve quality of life and try to maybe retain some of the people in the jobs we have here, as opposed to losing them because they're not sure of what's available to them. What we've found in other areas that have established a centralized I and R is that the agencies that are getting referrals are seeing a 40 per cent increase (in referrals), so there is an unmet social need out there."

While the CRTC considers the 211 proposal, the Northeastern Ontario 211 steering committee continues to examine the I and R models operating in other communities to develop a set of practices best suited for Timmins, Cochrane and Timiskaming.