Winnipeg hits snag for 911 upgrades [Video]

The City of Winnipeg is moving toward a new and improved 911 system, but a plan to pay for it has hit a snag.

“A bit of a learning curve, our public service wasn’t aware (of). Now we know, not a big deal,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty

The city was set to add a $1 monthly fee to all phone bills with Winnipeg addresses. The money would be used to fund millions of dollars worth of upgrades to 911. The new technology, known as Next Generation 911, allows 911 to accept texts, photos, and videos. Finance Committee Chair Browaty, who is the chair of the finance committee, said the technology can help people when they aren’t able to speak on the phone.

“You can quite discretely, sometimes in a bad situation, communicate through 911 through texting.”

That $1 fee was supposed to be tacked on to phone bills in July, …