Area code 867
Encyclopedia
Area code 867 is the area code for the three Canadian
territories in the Arctic
far north.
It was created on October 21, 1997, from portions of two existing Canadian area codes (403
& 819
). The digits were chosen to promote the theme "TOP of the world", as TOP spells 867 on a North America
n dial. It has the largest land area of any area code in the North American Numbering Plan
. The territorial extent reaches 3,173 km from Cape Dyer on Baffin Island
to the Alaska border, and 4,391 km from the south end of James Bay
to the North Pole
. The largest distances between exchanges are 2,200 km from Sanikiluaq to Grise Fiord, and 3,365 km from Beaver Creek
to Pangnirtung. Four different official time zones are observed within the area.
(along with most of western Quebec
) were originally in area code 819
The code 819 was applied to the eastern NWT and northern Quebec starting in the late 1970s as Direct distance dialing
became available; from 1957 to the late 1970s, these areas were nominally part of area code 418; prior to 1957, they would have been regarded as part of area code 514, but there were no telephone services in the area prior to 1958. and served by Bell Canada
until 1992. The Yukon Territory and the western portion of the Northwest Territories were originally covered by Alberta
area code 403
, and served by Northwestel
.
Since then, Nunavut
has taken over all of the former 819 portion of the Northwest Territories, plus part of the old 403 area. Area code 403 (Calgary, Alberta) has since been further split to create 780
for the northern two-thirds of Alberta, including Edmonton.
The only incumbent local exchange carrier in 867 is Northwestel
, although until 1964, the geographic area now served by 867 did have up to five independent telephone companies, plus Bell Canada.
Northwestel
's proposal for a new regulatory regime was approved for 2007, allowing resale of local telephone service, additional central office codes should not be required for competitive carriers wishing to offer local service. If the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in future approves facilities-based local service competition, the expense of deployment would probably limit it to major communities, necessitating additional prefixes only in communities that already have multiple prefixes. Communities that now have only one prefix are not likely to need a second prefix other than for local growth.
To the extent that exchanges within the territories also serve some customers in adjacent provinces, 867 numbers can also be found in Fraser
and Swan Lake
, British Columbia
(served from Carcross and Swift River
, respectively), and Fort Fitzgerald, Alberta
(served from Fort Smith
). Excluded from this area code is Environment Canada
's weather station at Eureka
which uses 204
and 613
. However, where the Alaska Highway
repeatedly (nine times) crosses the BC-Yukon border, two highway lodges and area residents are served by Watson Lake
(867) numbers, not the nearer Lower Post (250
) exchange. No provincial exchange actually near the border serves any territories customer.
Each community has only one central office code, except for:
(Until 1978, only Whitehorse (633, 667, 668) and Hay River (396, 874) had more than one prefix; Hay River was reduced to one (874), while Yellowknife (873) had a second prefix (920) added. Iqaluit (979), Inuvik (777) and Hay River received second prefixes in the 2001-2004 period, and Fort Smith (872) in 2006.)
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
territories in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
far north.
It was created on October 21, 1997, from portions of two existing Canadian area codes (403
Area code 403
Area code 403 is a telephone area code in the Canadian province of Alberta, encompassing the southern half of the province, including the Calgary area...
& 819
Area code 819
Area code 819 is an area code for central and western Quebec, Canada, including the Quebec portion of the National Capital Region, and the entire Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay coastlines of Quebec....
). The digits were chosen to promote the theme "TOP of the world", as TOP spells 867 on a North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n dial. It has the largest land area of any area code in the North American Numbering Plan
North American Numbering Plan
The North American Numbering Plan is an integrated telephone numbering plan administered by Neustar which encompasses 24 countries and territories, including the United States and its territories, Canada, Bermuda, and 16 nations of the Caribbean...
. The territorial extent reaches 3,173 km from Cape Dyer on Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
to the Alaska border, and 4,391 km from the south end of James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
to the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. The largest distances between exchanges are 2,200 km from Sanikiluaq to Grise Fiord, and 3,365 km from Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek, Yukon
- External links :* *...
to Pangnirtung. Four different official time zones are observed within the area.
History
Nearly all of the eastern Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
(along with most of western Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) were originally in area code 819
Area code 819
Area code 819 is an area code for central and western Quebec, Canada, including the Quebec portion of the National Capital Region, and the entire Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay coastlines of Quebec....
The code 819 was applied to the eastern NWT and northern Quebec starting in the late 1970s as Direct distance dialing
Direct distance dialing
Direct distance dialing or direct dial is a telecommunications term for a network-provided service feature in which a call originator may, without operator assistance, call any other user outside the local calling area. DDD requires more digits in the number dialed than are required for calling...
became available; from 1957 to the late 1970s, these areas were nominally part of area code 418; prior to 1957, they would have been regarded as part of area code 514, but there were no telephone services in the area prior to 1958. and served by Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
until 1992. The Yukon Territory and the western portion of the Northwest Territories were originally covered by Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
area code 403
Area code 403
Area code 403 is a telephone area code in the Canadian province of Alberta, encompassing the southern half of the province, including the Calgary area...
, and served by Northwestel
Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. is the incumbent local exchange carrier and long distance carrier in Northern Canada. The company name is a portmanteau, sometimes spelled NorthwesTel, for Northwest Telecommunications.-Modern corporate history:...
.
Since then, Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
has taken over all of the former 819 portion of the Northwest Territories, plus part of the old 403 area. Area code 403 (Calgary, Alberta) has since been further split to create 780
Area code 780
Area code 780 is a telephone area code in the province of Alberta, encompassing the northern two-thirds of the province. The code was established in 1999; prior to this date the entire province was served by the 403 area code...
for the northern two-thirds of Alberta, including Edmonton.
The only incumbent local exchange carrier in 867 is Northwestel
Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. is the incumbent local exchange carrier and long distance carrier in Northern Canada. The company name is a portmanteau, sometimes spelled NorthwesTel, for Northwest Telecommunications.-Modern corporate history:...
, although until 1964, the geographic area now served by 867 did have up to five independent telephone companies, plus Bell Canada.
Northwestel
Northwestel
Northwestel Inc. is the incumbent local exchange carrier and long distance carrier in Northern Canada. The company name is a portmanteau, sometimes spelled NorthwesTel, for Northwest Telecommunications.-Modern corporate history:...
's proposal for a new regulatory regime was approved for 2007, allowing resale of local telephone service, additional central office codes should not be required for competitive carriers wishing to offer local service. If the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in future approves facilities-based local service competition, the expense of deployment would probably limit it to major communities, necessitating additional prefixes only in communities that already have multiple prefixes. Communities that now have only one prefix are not likely to need a second prefix other than for local growth.
Places that use this area code
Area code 867 covers all points in the three Canadian territories:
|
To the extent that exchanges within the territories also serve some customers in adjacent provinces, 867 numbers can also be found in Fraser
Fraser, British Columbia
Fraser, British Columbia is a location on the Klondike Highway in northwestern British Columbia. It has no permanent residents or businesses. A Canada Border Services Agency port of entry is located here, along with a Yukon territorial government highway maintenance camp and a privately-owned...
and Swan Lake
Swan Lake, British Columbia
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, Swan Lake may refer to:* Swan Lake , a lake north of Vernon** Swan Lake Indian Reserve No...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
(served from Carcross and Swift River
Swift River
Swift River is the name of several rivers:Canada*Swift River , British Columbia*Swift River , British ColumbiaJamaica*Swift River New Zealand*Swift River, New ZealandUnited States*Swift River...
, respectively), and Fort Fitzgerald, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
(served from Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories
Fort Smith is a town in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located in the southeastern portion of the Northwest Territories, on the Slave River and adjacent to the NWT/Alberta border.-History:Fort Smith's history began because of the Slave River and the vital link...
). Excluded from this area code is Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
's weather station at Eureka
Eureka, Nunavut
Eureka is a small research base on Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Qikiqtaaluk Region, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is located on the north side of Slidre Fiord, which enters Eureka Sound farther west. It is the second-northernmost permanent research community in the world. The...
which uses 204
Area code 204
204 is the North American telephone area code for the Canadian province of Manitoba, encompassing the province. 204 is one of the original 86 area codes assigned in 1947 in the contiguous United States and the then-nine-province extent of Canada....
and 613
Area code 613
Area code 613 are area codes for Ottawa and surrounding Eastern Ontario, Canada. 613 is one of the 86 original area codes of North America assigned in October 1947...
. However, where the Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
repeatedly (nine times) crosses the BC-Yukon border, two highway lodges and area residents are served by Watson Lake
Watson Lake
Watson Lake may refer to:* Watson Lake, Yukon* Watson Lake * Watson Lake * Watson Lake * Watson Lake...
(867) numbers, not the nearer Lower Post (250
Area code 250
Area code 250 is an area code for most of the Canadian province of British Columbia, including Vancouver Island. It was created on October 19, 1996 as a split of area code 604.The area code also serves the United States city of Hyder, Alaska....
) exchange. No provincial exchange actually near the border serves any territories customer.
Each community has only one central office code, except for:
- Whitehorse, YukonWhitehorse, YukonWhitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
(867) - 332 333 334 335 336 393 455 456 633 667 668 - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (867) - 444 445 446 669 765 766 767 873 920 999
- Iqaluit, Nunavut (867) - 222 974 975 979
- Inuvik, Northwest TerritoriesInuvik, Northwest TerritoriesInuvik is a town in the Northwest Territories of Canada and is the administrative centre for the Inuvik Region.The population as of the 2006 Census was 3,484, but the two previous census counts show wide fluctuations due to economic conditions: 2,894 in 2001 and 3,296 in 1996...
(867) - 620 678 777 - Fort Smith, Northwest TerritoriesFort Smith, Northwest TerritoriesFort Smith is a town in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located in the southeastern portion of the Northwest Territories, on the Slave River and adjacent to the NWT/Alberta border.-History:Fort Smith's history began because of the Slave River and the vital link...
(867) - 621 870 872 - Hay River, Northwest TerritoriesHay River, Northwest TerritoriesHay River , known as "the Hub of the North," is a town in the Northwest Territories, Canada, located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, at the mouth of the Hay River. The town is separated into two sections, a new town and an old town with the Hay River Airport between them...
(867) - 874 875 876 - Behchoko, Northwest TerritoriesBehchoko, Northwest TerritoriesBehchokǫ̀ , officially the Tłı̨chǫ Community Government of Behchokǫ̀ is a community in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Behchokǫ̀ is located on the Yellowknife Highway , on the northwest tip of Great Slave Lake, approximately northwest of Yellowknife...
(867) - 371 392
(Until 1978, only Whitehorse (633, 667, 668) and Hay River (396, 874) had more than one prefix; Hay River was reduced to one (874), while Yellowknife (873) had a second prefix (920) added. Iqaluit (979), Inuvik (777) and Hay River received second prefixes in the 2001-2004 period, and Fort Smith (872) in 2006.)