January 16, 2020
The hours for the City of Edmonton’s 311 service are being reduced from 24 to 12 hours a day starting February 2, 2020. The new hours are from 7 a.m to 7 p.m., seven days a week (closed statutory holidays). Support for essential public safety and urgent bylaw calls will continue to be available after hours. Examples of these calls include downed trees, sinkholes, animal attacks, parking in an emergency lane, etc. People who call in will be prompted to call a dedicated number for after hours inquiries.
311 has received over 20 million inquiries since 2009 and answers roughly 5,000 calls a day. 311 is an easy to remember phone number that citizens can call to inquire about many different City programs and services, from what time their garbage pickup is to how to register for swimming lessons.
The changes to 311 hours are part of Council’s effort to deal with reduced revenues and to keep citizen’s tax increases down. There will be no targeted layoffs as a result of these changes. Savings will be realized through natural attrition and through scheduling efficiencies. The compressed schedule will result in a slight increase to wait times.
