‘Ridiculous’ 911 call about hotel room frustrates police in Mississauga and Brampton

A recent 911 call in Peel in which a man complained about his hotel room has left police shaking their heads in frustration after years of trying to reduce the number of such inappropriate “emergency” calls.

Peel Regional Police Const. Tyler Bell-Morena said in a minute-long video posted to social media on Wednesday such calls are “ridiculous” and, well beyond that, can endanger the lives of people trying to contact a 911 dispatcher for a legitimate emergency.

A recording of the 911 call, which can be heard in the post below, indicates the caller has complaints about a hotel room they’ve rented, particularly a claim they’re not getting their money refunded.

“That’s still not a reason to call the police,” Bell-Morena says in the video, the latest such police post that’s part of an ongoing effort in recent years to educate people to the proper use of the emergency number.

The 911 operator, meanwhile, can be heard clearly telling the caller their complaint is not a valid reason “to call 911, or the police at all.”

This is an actual call our communications team received. While we can laugh at the absurdity of it, the reality is that tying up 9-1-1 for a bad hotel experience puts actual lives at risk.

If you are ever unsure if your situation is an emergency, but it is NOT life-or-death or a… pic.twitter.com/DacbV5rvWs

— Peel Regional Police (@PeelPolice) July 8, 2026

Unfortunately, according to Peel police and first responders in other Ontario jurisdictions, such misuse of the 911 emergency system is not at all uncommon.

In fact, it can be a daily occurrence.

In 2023, more than half of the nearly 730,000 calls made to 911 in Mississauga and Brampton did not involve real emergencies, marking a dramatic uptick in such calls from previous years.

It was also the first time ever the number of inappropriate 911 calls in Peel topped 50 per cent of all calls to the emergency service.

911 misuse has to stop, police say

Peel police say misuse — either intentionally or accidentally — of the 911 system in Mississauga and Brampton has to stop.

“Imagine being under your bed and needing the police right now and you can’t get through to 911 because someone like this is calling over a motel room; it’s ridiculous,” Bell-Morena says. “If you’re unsure (who to call), really unsure, and it’s not a life-or-death emergency or a crime in progress, call our non-emergency line (905-453-3311).”

“Inappropriate” 911 calls include misdials/pocket dials, calls from people who don’t know what qualifies as a legitimate 911 emergency and calls from people who are deliberately misusing the system, police said earlier.

Peel police have been trying for years to get the rate of non-emergency calls to 911 down to a more acceptable number through several public awareness/social media education campaigns each year.

Lives could be endangered

Such efforts are crucial, police say, as non-emergency 911 calls take the time and attention of dispatchers away from real emergencies where people’s lives could be in danger.

Peel politicians considered a couple of years ago going beyond public awareness initiatives to introduce cash fines for people who make negligent 911 calls in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

However, that plan was suspended in early 2025 when officials decided instead to give new technology a chance to address the problem.

Following 2023, when 728,394 calls to 911 were made in Peel, 767,966 calls were made in 2024 and 637,645 calls in 2025.

Of the 2025 number of 911 calls, 16 per cent were accidental/non-emergency calls, Peel Region numbers show.

“Simple steps such as locking mobile devices and avoiding programming 911 into speed dial can help reduce accidental calls,” regional officials said in a news release in April. “It’s also important to teach children when and how to call 911 and how to recognize a real emergency. If 911 is called accidentally, callers should stay on the phone and let the operator know.”

OPP have said they face the same 911 misuse problem, noting numerous examples of incorrect use of the emergency number on a regular basis.