New area codes in Toronto, B.C. get mixed reception

Toronto's fourth area code is being criticized on social media from users who suggest three is enough. John Vennavally-Rao has the story.

A generation ago, many Canadians could easily name the region that matched an area code. 416? Toronto. 604? B.C. 403? Alberta.

Try playing that game now.

Toronto alone just added its fourth area code, 942. In a few weeks, British Columbia residents will start seeing 257 pop up on phones. That will be B.C.’s sixth.

“There’s a lot of new area codes and I don’t know them,” says Sean Iovacchini, who runs a business in Toronto. “I have to Google them.”

The country had just 15 area codes in 1993. By the end of this month, there will be 55. The increase matters to Iovacchini. His business sells recycled phone numbers to customers looking for certain classic area codes, especially 416.

“It builds that trust. So if it’s a new startup business and you have a 416, people assume you’ve been around for a while.”

He says a day doesn’t go by that he doesn’t sell a 416 number, which typically go for around $50. Depending on a number’s uniqueness, they can fetch much more. A recent listing for the number 416-287-0000 had a price tag of $4,450.

“For branding it’s an easy number to remember,” said Iovacchini, who founded Number Shack.

As for why B.C. and Toronto have added area codes the reason is simple enough; carriers are running low on new numbers.

The agency that administers area codes in Canada, known as the CAN, says the demand goes far beyond phones.

“It’s not just all the people using these up. It’s a lot of technology that’s using these numbers as well,” said CNA program manager Kelly Walsh.

Numbers are now assigned to everything from cars and tablets to traffic lights.

“Anything that communicate wirelessly may potentially be using up a number.”

Which begs the question: is there any danger of eventually running out of new area codes in North America?

“Sure there is,” said Walsh.

He says one estimate says that could happen around the year 2061, or perhaps as early as 2054. When that happens, the 10 digits we currently dial might need to increase to eleven or more.

As for Toronto’s new area code, CTV News ran it by residents downtown. Some threw shade on the newcomer. One man said 942 just didn’t sound like a Toronto number, while another said it doesn’t really matter anymore.

“They’re adding so many that its kind of lost its aura,” he said. “Like each code has lost its uniqueness.”