B.C.’s largest 911 operator has released its annual top-10 list of inappropriate emergency calls, highlighting the public’s worst uses of the service in 2025.
Atop this year’s list was a caller who complained that an airline was not allowing them to bring their oversized carry-on bag onto a plane.
“Your bag is taller than usual?” the 911 operator can be heard saying in audio of the call released alongside E-Comm’s annual list.
The caller’s voice has been edited out, and only the operator’s responses are shared.
“If your bag is oversized, you can check it in, you just can’t bring it on as a carry-on,” the operator continues.
“Unfortunately, police can’t help you with that. If that’s the rule of the airline, you have to follow the rule of the airline, but it’s not something the police will help you with.”
Other calls making this year’s list included a complaint from a person who was unhappy with their haircut and called 911 to report it, a complaint about a non-electric car parked at an EV charging station, and calls about a broken dishwasher and Walmart’s return policy.
E-Comm handles 99 per cent of 911 calls in B.C., responding to approximately two million calls annually.
The company says it releases the top-10 list annually as a reminder that 911 lines are for emergency calls only.
“No matter how absurd a call might be on the surface, we have to treat every 911 call as an emergency, until we can confidently determine otherwise,” said Bailey Mitchell, an E-Comm police call-taker, in the company’s statement released Tuesday.
“Every second we spend fielding questions about traffic, hornets or bad haircuts is time that could otherwise be helping someone in a life-threatening emergency situation.”
E-Comm’s full list of the most inappropriate calls from 2025 follows.
- Caller’s luggage exceeded the carry-on limits
- Walmart wouldn’t return an air fryer
- Caller’s dishwasher was broken
- Someone parked at Starbucks and went into a grocery store instead
- A non-electric car parked at EV charging station
- Caller wanted to complain about traffic
- Caller got locked out of their Airbnb
- Caller left their iPad at the SkyTrain station
- Caller wanted help getting a hornet out of their apartment
- Caller was unhappy with their haircut
E-Comm is reminding the public that 911 is for emergencies only, and should only be called if police, firefighters or paramedics are needed in a situation where someone’s health, safety or property is in jeopardy or a crime is in progress.
Calls about issues that don’t meet this criteria are best directed to the non-emergency line for the agency in question.
E-Comm maintains a list of non-emergency contacts on its website.
“The majority of people use 911 responsibly, and we want British Columbians to feel confident calling for help in an emergency,” said Carly Paice, E-Comm’s communications manager, in the statement.
“No matter the time of day, our call takers are here to connect people with critical emergency resources when they need them most.”
