Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
Have you ever run out of toilet paper? It may feel like an emergency, but it’s probably not worthy of a 9-1-1 call.
But according to the Saskatchewan RCMP, someone in the province made a call to the emergency dispatch service in 2025 to complain that their roll had run out.
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On Wednesday, the Mounties continued an annual tradition by sharing the 10 funniest 9-1-1 calls they fielded over the past year. But while many of the calls might prompt a chuckle, the RCMP said it’s important for the public to know that the emergency line is reserved for emergency calls, not minor grievances.
“We release our annual list to remind people that misusing 911 can delay emergency responders from reaching someone in a life-threatening situation,” Jocelyn James, manager of the Saskatchewan RCMP’s communications centre, said in a statement.
Saskatchewan RCMP 911 call-takers and dispatchers answered 422,378 calls this year – an increase of 15 per cent compared to 2024. Every moment that we’re spending speaking with someone who is complaining about their family member’s loud snoring is a moment that could have been used helping someone in a serious emergency.”
Loud snoring was the subject of a 9-1-1 call in 2025, the RCMP said, when a caller complained that a family member’s loud snoring was keeping them up.
Another call involved a person who “was upset because they had to drive their expensive vehicle through a construction zone,” the RCMP said.
Anything that slows down drivers can be an annoyance, but the RCMP said one caller decided to dial 9-1-1 to report that a shopping cart had been left in their driveway.
Other funny calls fielded in 2025 included a caller who was looking for the number for a taxi service, a person concerned that their neighbours were “not following the rules of laundry day” and a caller who complained that a restaurant was taking too long to make their lunch.
Another food-related call to 9-1-1 turned out to be from a person who was upset that a friend had cooked their pork chop without permission, the RCMP said.
Technology can occasionally result in an accidental 9-1-1 call, which the RCMP said happened last year when a called informed the dispatcher that the TV show they were watching “inadvertently triggered their phone to place the call.”
The final entry on the list involved a caller who had lost their phone, and wanted an officer to call it so that they could locate it. One has to wonder how they placed the call in the first place.
“Please remember: whether you’re out of toilet paper, upset about your late lunch, or you’ve lost your phone – these are not reasons to call 911. Doing so must be reserved for life-threatening emergencies and crimes in progress,” the RCMP emphasized.
“Saskatchewan RCMP would like to remind the public that there are ramifications for those who misuse 911. Not only is there a chance of preventing someone with a life-threatening emergency from getting help, there is also a summary offence charge under the Emergency 911 Systems Act with fines up to $2,000.”
