NextGen911 – Strathcona County (Part 1)

Strathcona County began its journey to adopt the federally mandated Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) next-generation 911 standard (NG9-1-1) in 2019.

While the municipality was using a legacy solution for its call handling, computer automated dispatch (CAD), and records management, it was already exploring options to replace its pre-existing solution. With more than 200,000 residents spread across 67 emergency service zones, the County is one of the largest service zones in Alberta.

Upon the CRTC’s official announcement, Strathcona County saw an opportunity to replace its current solution and simultaneously adopt ‘next generation’ technologies for its emergency services. It got to work and developed a business case seeking $3 million for the purchase of software, hardware, and the secondment of a team to guide the project until its completion.

Council approved the business case in 2019 and set the stage for Strathcona County to become the first municipality in Alberta to implement NG9-1-1 in September 2023. Initially, municipalities across Canada were mandated by the CRTC to adopt this new standard by Q3 2023 – this has since been changed to March 2025.

While the municipality sought to be an early adopter of these technologies, it did not intend to lead the way and face the challenges associated with ‘being first’.

Next week, we will outline Strathcona County’s approach to procuring solutions. [To part 2]

For more information, please contact danb [at] abmunis.ca (Dan Blackburn), Senior Director of Growth & Innovation.