City services and 311

Canadian municipalities concentrate non-emergency contact in a single service line. Where a city runs 311, that number reaches every municipal department, and the people answering can route a request to the right one. For Vancouver that is City of Vancouver.

Numbers and contacts

• City services (311)3-1-1, or 604-873-7000 from outside Vancouver

  Published by the Vancouver Police Department, which directs City general enquiries to 3-1-1.

  Official page

• Police non-emergency (Vancouver Police Department)604-717-3321

  Call 911 instead for an emergency or a crime in progress.

  Official page

• City Hall main switchboard3-1-1, or 604-873-7000 from outside Vancouver

  Vancouver routes general enquiries through 3-1-1 rather than publishing a separate City Hall switchboard.

  Official page

• TransLink customer information604-953-3333

  Phone service is available in more than 300 languages.

  Official page

Official city services

These go directly to the municipality’s own pages for the services residents use most. Fares, fees, hours and collection schedules change, so each link is the live source rather than a snapshot copied here.

• TransLink fares — Fare zones and prices, Compass Card, concessions and where to buy.
• TransLink trip planner — Trip planning across Metro Vancouver, including real-time service information.
• TransLink alerts — Critical and advisory service alerts across the transit network.
• Vancouver Public Library — Official VPL catalogue and hours; the vpl.ca homepage was not reachable when this was verified.

Getting a request acted on

A municipal request is only as useful as its location. Whatever the issue — a pothole, a broken streetlight, missed collection, a water main leak, an unshovelled sidewalk — the details that get it fixed are the same:

• The exact address, or the nearest intersection, plus which side of the street.
• What the problem is and when you first noticed it.
• A photo, where the problem is visible — most cities accept attachments online.
• Whether it is on public property or private. Cities can only act on what they own, and this is the most common reason a request is closed without action.
• A reference number. Keep it: it is what you quote when you follow up.

What is not the city’s job

A surprising share of complaints go to the wrong body. In most Canadian cities, the following are handled by someone else entirely:

• Police, fire and medical emergencies — 911. Not the city service line.
• Highways and provincial roads — the province, not the municipality. City crews maintain local roads only.
• Electricity, natural gas and telecoms — the utility or the provider. See the driving and utilities information for who regulates them in British Columbia.
• Landlord and tenant disputes — a provincial tribunal, not the city.
• Schools and hospitals — school boards and regional health authorities.