Ontario 211 continued its steady growth across the regions with the September launch in three new areas of the Province. On September 24th, residents of Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes gained telephone access to 211’s information and referral service. They were joined on four days later by residents of Sault Ste. Marie.
Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur sent her congratulations. “This 211 service expansion will give thousands more Ontarians instant telephone access to local social services information ─ families in crisis who need to access community services, new Canadians who need information to adapt to a new home, or parents searching for local services for their children.” The Ministry of Community and Social Services has been a strong supporter in 211’s development, most recently by providing more than $13 million over four years to expand its service province wide.
The launch of 211 service to Haliburton and Kawartha Lakes was celebrated in Lindsay. Ric Johnson, MPP for Haliburton - Kawartha Lakes – Brock, said “this is great for rural Ontario because it allows people to pick up their phones and access services in their community. . . it just makes so much sense.” Mayor Ric McGee added that, while municipal service centres do their best, they "don't always have the instant answer." Those answers are now just a quick call away to 211.
Penny Barton Dyke, Executive Director, The United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes, agreed. For those living in isolated or rural areas without access to a computer “it's going to be a great way for them to reach services.” Victoria County Career Services (VCCS) received United Way funds to collect and maintain the database of services. Carolyn Timlin, of VCCS, noted that "a lot of studies have shown that the cost of providing 211 is greatly outweighed by the benefits." 211 is provided by Community Connection in Collingwood, the designated service provider for Central East Ontario.
Four days later and further to the north-west, Sault Ste. Marie residents started to make 211 calls. Among those attending the launch was Pat Mick, Chair of the Sault Ste. Marie DSSAB and Gary Vipond, CEO of the United Way of Sault Ste. Marie.
Gary Vipond thanked the many people who contributed to bringing 211 to SSM, including Jered Zieroth and Marie Klassen from 211 North, the SSM Innovation Centre who ensured that the data was complete and accurate, as well as Pat Mick and the DSSAB for its financial support.
Jered Zieroth, Project Manager for 211 North, said that 211 was like a large funnel – it is a wide open starting place that quickly narrows down to the needed service. He congratulated the Sault for being an early innovator in developing the partnership required to extend the local service. Marie Klassen added that “211 connects people with services quickly, preventing a problem from becoming a crisis. In the North, where distances are large, that becomes even more important.”
The local information database is maintained by the Innovation Centre with data provided by the United Way of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario WorkInfonet, Superior Children's Centre/ Algoma Manitoulin Early Years, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library. Service to Sault Ste. Marie, part of the Northern Ontario region, is operated by Lakehead Social Planning Council, in Thunder Bay.
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