Your right to local telephone service
Everyone in Canada has the right to receive basic local home telephone services, subject to certain conditions.
You have the right to receive the following basic services as part of your local telephone service, where they are available:
- local calling;
- access to emergency services, for example through 9-1-1;
- access to the operator and directory assistance;
- access to long distance calling;
- touch-tone dialing;
- access to special features, such as call display blocking;
- access to message relay service, which is used to facilitate communications with persons with speech or hearing disabilities;
- a copy of the white and yellow pages of the local phone directory.
These services may not be available in all parts of the country but, where they are available, the phone company must provide them. When there is phone service in your area and you have the required credit rating or credit guarantees, or if you are required to pay a deposit (see "Your rights regarding deposits" section), the phone company must provide local telephone service to your home. There may be instances where the phone company requires access to your property in order to provide phone service to you. You are entitled to pay the initial connection charges over a period of up to six months for local telephone service. In areas where there is no telephone service, there may be options to make phone service available, if you agree to pay certain construction charges. If local telephone service is currently unavailable in your area, contact a phone company providing service in the nearest area and ask them to quote you a price for providing phone service to your home. You are entitled to pay any construction charges on a reasonable installment basis.
* The rights summarized in this guide are for informational purposes only and do not represent a complete list of your rights. The information contained in this guide may also be subject to change. This guide does not change or add to any existing rules or laws. In the event of any inconsistencies between this guide and any existing rule or law, the existing rule or law will prevail.
Date Modified: 2006-12-21