Odd complaints about haircuts, hornets and luggage top B.C.’s unusual 911 calls of 2025

British Columbia’s main emergency call centre says complaints about luggage size, a bad haircut and even a household hornet were among the most unusual 911 calls received this year, highlighting ongoing misuse of the emergency line.

E-Comm, which answers about 99 per cent of 911 calls across the province, says it handles roughly two million calls annually. While most callers use the service appropriately, officials say a small number continue to call for situations that do not require police, firefighters or paramedics.

Among the calls flagged in E-Comm’s year-end list were reports about a dishwasher that stopped working, a request for help removing a hornet from an apartment, frustration over an Airbnb lockout and complaints about traffic congestion. One caller also contacted 911 after a store refused to accept the return of an air fryer.

Call taker Bailey Mitchell said emergency responders must initially treat every call as potentially serious, even when the issue later turns out to be non-urgent. Mitchell noted that time spent on non-emergency concerns can delay responses to people facing genuine, life-threatening situations.

E-Comm continues to urge residents to use 911 only for emergencies and to rely on non-emergency numbers or other services for everyday disputes and inconveniences, a message that has been repeated in past public awareness campaigns across B.C.