Directions home from a Drake concert tops B.C.’s 911 nuisance calls for 2023

A nose ring down the drain, a cancelled AirBnB reservation and a directions home from a concert.

Those were just some of E-Comm’s top nuisance calls of 2023.

Every year, E-Comm – which handles 99 per cent of B.C.’s 911 call volume – releases its list of top nuisance calls.

“No matter how absurd a call might be on the surface, we have to treat every 9-1-1 call as an emergency, until we can confidently determine otherwise,” E-Comm police call taker Alaina Milicevic said.

“Every second we spend fielding questions about AirBnB reservations or complaints about UberEats orders is time that could otherwise be dedicated to helping someone in a life-threatening emergency situation. We can’t help you with consumer complaints on 911, but reaching out to an appropriate customer service agent, or filing a report with the Better Business Bureau might help resolve your issue.”

This year, the organization says there was a 13-per-cent increase in call volume to 911. It’s a reminder to keep lines clear for emergency situations. E-Comm has handled more than 2.1 million calls so far in 2023.

The top 10 nuisance calls of 2023 are:

1. To ask for directions home from the Drake concert
2. The traffic light was taking too long to turn green
3. They lost a nose ring down the shower drain
4. Their AirBnB host cancelled their reservation
5. Their UberEats order was taking too long
6. A burger joint wouldn’t let them in before opening
7. They couldn’t find their cellphone
8. To complain about a pothole
9. Their McDonald’s order was taking too long
10. The barber gave them a bad haircut