211 service a possibility for county residents
by Richard Blanchard

Provincial funding is critical to the implementation of a 2-1-1 service which would allow Simcoe county residents a central phone number to call for information on a wide variety of government services.

Simcoe County councillors were given a presentation on the system by last Tuesday by Pam Hillier.

An accompanying report estimated that the system would cost around $215,000 per year for the first three years with Orillia and Barrie contributing about $75,000 per year.

Last year, Simcoe County council passed a resolution asking for the province to pay all costs associated with the 2-1-1 system.

County warden Tony Guergis said that provincial funding was critical to implementing the system in the county. "We are going to look at it in the 2008 budget where we will look at the need for it along with the benefits and costs."

The service which is used in Toronto and in many other Canadian and American cities gives a central number to call for information on community, social, health and government services.

In the United States, as of June 2007, the 2-1-1 system is serving approximately 198 million Americans, approximately 65% of the U.S. population. By the end of 2008, 80% of the population is expected to have 2-1-1 access.

In Canada, the system is in place in Toronto and Halton and Niagara Regions and in Calgary and Edmonton.