VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s new area code, 236, will be available for use across the province starting Saturday, June 1 to help meet the growing demand for phone numbers in the province.
The new area code will initially be rolled out only to residents or businesses acquiring new phone numbers in areas where there is no longer a sufficient supply of numbers within the existing area 604, 250, and 778 codes. Each geographic area has a different supply of numbers within existing area codes, making it difficult to determine when a specific area will begin to see the 236 area code in use.
There will be no changes to existing phone numbers, but customers may be offered a 236 number when they contact a provider for a new service.
The Western Telecommunications Alliance says the geographic boundaries for long distance calls and three-digit numbers such as 211, 311, 411, 611 and 911 will not be affected.
The WTA, a group of Canada’s major telecommunications companies, is working to inform all customers and businesses about the additional area code.
