1,300,000 Reasons to Rejoice!
Fall 2010 was a huge harvest for Ontario 211 - its telephone service expanded by almost 1.3 million Ontarians. Now, nearly 70 per cent of residents in Ontario can phone 211’s telephone information and referral service. Ontario 211 is on track, to reach all Ontarians by the end of 2011.
Five new communities in Ontario launched their 211 phone service – Algoma District, Oxford County, the City of Hamilton, Rainy River and Durham Region.
Bill Morris, Executive Director of the Ontario 211 Services Corporation, the agency responsible for extending 211 across Ontario, summed it up. “Whether life is a highway or a rollercoaster for you, 211 can help you navigate the bumps and turns. 211 makes a difference, because we provide a human touch while navigating stressful situations. When you call 211, you reach a trained, live-person who is a good listener and up-to-date on social services in your community. 211 specialists work to help callers feel confident in taking the next step to get the support they need.”
| 211 services are currently available to 70 per cent of Ontario in the following areas: |
- Perth
- Huron
- Kingston
- Lennox
- Addington
- Frontenac
- Ottawa
- Niagara
- Toronto
- Windsor-Essex
- Halton
- Peel
- Thunder Bay
- Sault Ste. Marie
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- Simcoe
- Bruce
- Grey
- Muskoka
- Haliburton
- Kawartha Lakes
- Peterborough
- Northumberland
- Algoma
- Rainy River
- Hamilton
- Oxford
- Durham Region
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Upcoming 211 Launches in Ontario
- Brant County - December 10, 2010
- York Region - December 16, 2010
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Left to right: Helping to launch 211 to the Hamilton area was the Hon. Sophia Aggelonitis, MPP Hamilton Mountain and Minister of Revenue and Minister Responsible for Seniors, with Mayor of the City of Hamilton, Fred Eisenberger. |
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Left to right: Janice Hayes, Executive Director and CEO, Findhelp Information Services; Nestor Pidwerbecki, Deputy Mayor of Oshawa; Garry Cubitt, Chief Administrative Officer, Region of Durham; Pam Noonan, Chair, United Way of Durham; Wayne Arthurs, MPP, Pickering-Scarborough East; Bruce Reynolds, President Findhelp Information Services, and Bill Morris, Executive Director, O211SC. |
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Right to left: Paul Holbrough,Warden; Jeff Surridge, Executive Director, Community Employment Services; Michael Bragg, Chief Administrative Officer, Oxford County; Kelly Gilson, Executive Director, United Way of Oxford and Evelyn Brown, 0211SC Board Director. |
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Back row, left to right: joining the Rainy River launch was Michael Lewis, Chair, Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, and Bill Morris, Executive Director, O211SC. Front row, left to right: Marie Klassen, Executive Director, 211 Northern Region, Dennis Brown, Mayor of Atikokan, and Trudy McCormick, Director of the North West Legal Clinic and data provider for Rainy River. |
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211 Launched in Kingston with the teams from 211 Eastern Region, United Way serving Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington and representatives from the County of Frontenac. |
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Gary Vipond, Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Sault Ste. Marie introduces 211 to the Algoma community in Wawa. |
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Warden Henry Hogg from the County of Lennox & Addington helps launch 211 to
the community. |
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Revenue Minister John Wilkinson, and MPP Perth Wellington, joined the United Way
Perth-Huron and 211 team to launch 211 to the Perth and Huron communities. |
Want the 411 on 211?
To learn more about 211 in Ontario visit the following link to read the monthly newsletter and latest 211 Annual Report.
http://issuu.com/211-ontario-in-touch-news/docs/in_touch_october_2010?viewMode=magazine
See 211’s video at the following link http://smr.newswire.ca/en/ontario-211-services-corporation/211-grows-to-reach-85-million-ontarians-four-more |
Where 211 phone service will be by June 2011
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