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, which was retained by the Lower Mainland.

The area code also serves the United States community of Hyder, Alaska, which sits along the border near the town of Stewart.

The incumbent local exchange carriers are Telus, Northwestel and CityWest in the city of Prince Rupert.

By the mid-2000s, 250 was already on the verge of exhaustion, due primarily to Canada's inefficient system of number allocation. Canada does not use number pooling as a relief measure; each carrier is allocated blocks of 10,000 numbers in each rate centre where it plans to offer service, even in the smallest hamlets. While most regions don't need nearly that many numbers, once a prefix is assigned to a rate centre, it can't be allocated elsewhere. This resulted in thousands of wasted numbers, a problem exacerbated by the proliferation of cell phones and pagers. Rather than employ another split, it was decided to make 778, which had been an overlay area code for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, an overlay for the entire province starting on July 4, 2007. Overlays have become the preferred method of area code relief in Canada; no area codes have been split since 1999. However, it is likely that an overlay would have been implemented in any event, as the region's carriers did not want to force their customers (particularly in rural areas) to change their numbers for the second time in a decade.

Communities included

• Armstrong (250): 546
• Bella Bella (250): 957
• Bridge River Valley, including Bralorne, Brexton, Gold Bridge, and Gun Lake (250): 238
• Campbell River (250): 201 202 203 204 205 286 287 346 504 830 850 895 923
• Castlegar (250): 304 365 608 687
• Chetwynd (250): 788
• Cranbrook (250): 417 420 421 426 450 464 489 581 919
• Creston (250): 254 402 428 431 435 977
• Comox (250): 339 890 941
• Courtenay (250): 207 218 331 334 338 465 585 650 702 703 792 871 897 898
• The Cowichan Valley comprises the following local rate centres:
  • Chemainus (250): 210 246 324 416 436 533 606
  • Cobble Hill (250): 733 743 929
  • Duncan (250): 252 466 510 597 701 709 710 715 732 737 746 748 815 856
  • Ladysmith (250): 245 912 924
  • Lake Cowichan (250): 749 932
  • Youbou (250): 745
• Cumberland (250): 336
• Dawson Creek (250): 219 467 719 782 784 795 806 854
• Elkford (250): 865
• Enderby (250): 838
• Fernie (250): 278 430 946
• Fort Nelson (250):
• Fort St. James (250): 996
• Fort St. John (250): 224 261 262 263 264 271 329 663 785 787 793 794
• Gold River (250): 283
• Golden (250): 344 439 272
• Grand Forks (250): 442 443 584 666
• Gulf Islands, including Galiano Island, Mayne Island, and Saturna Island (250): 222 539
• Hazelton (250): 842
• Hixon (250): 998
• Houston (250): 845
• Hudson's Hope (250): 783 903
• Hyder, Alaska (250): 234 636
• Invermere (250): 270 341 342 409 688
• Kamloops (250): 214 299 312 314 318 319 320 371 372 374 376 377 434 461 554 571 572 573 574 576 578 579 682 705 819 828 851 852 879
  • Surrounding communities:
  • Barriere (250): 672
  • Clearwater (250): 674
  • Cache Creek (250): 313 457
  • Logan Lake (250): 523
  • Savona (250): 373
• Kaslo (250): 353 943
• Kelowna (250): 212 215 258 300 317 322 448 450 451 452 454 469 470 491 575 681 712 717 718 760 764 765 769 801 807 808 826 859 860 861 862 863 864 868 869 870 872 878 899 979 980
  • Surrounding communities:
  • Oyama (250): 548
  • Peachland (250): 767
  • West Kelowna (250): 700 707 768
  • Winfield (250): 766
• Kimberley (250): 427 432 520 602 908
• Kitimat (250): 632 639
• Kitwanga (250): 849
• Rural Kootenays (250): 229 357 399 424 429 445 447 529 603 829
• Lillooet (250): 256
• Merritt, British Columbia (250): 280 315 378 525 936
• Midway (250): 449 528 605
• Nakusp (250): 265
• Nanaimo is divided into the following local rate centres:
  • Cedar (250): 323 722
  • Lantzville (250): 390 933
  • Nanaimo (250): 244 255 268 327 518 585 591 616 618 619 667 668 713 714 716 734 739 740 741 753 754 755 762 796 797 802 816 824
  • Wellington (250): 729 751 756 758 760
• Nanoose Bay (250): 468
• Nelson (250): 352 354 505 509 551 777 825
• Parksville (250): 228 240 248 586 607 905 927 937 947 951 954
• Pender Island (250): 629
• Penticton (250): 274 276 328 460 462 482 486 487 488 490 492 493 770 809 817
• Port Alberni (250): 206 419 720 723 724 730 731 735 736 913 918
• Port Hardy (250): 230 902 949
• Port McNeill (250): 956
• Prince George (250): 277 301 552 561 562 563 564 565 596 612 613 614 617 640 645 649 906 960 961 962 963 964 970 981
• Prince Rupert (250): 624 627
• Qualicum Beach (250): 752
• Quesnel (250): 255 316 925 983 985 991 992 747 249 555
• Revelstoke (250): 814 837
• Rossland (250): 362
• Saanich (250): 544 654 655 657 665 669
• Salmon Arm (250): 489 515 803 804 832 833
• Salt Spring Island (250): 537 538 653
• Sidney (250): 652 656
• Slocan Valley (250): 355 358 359
• Smithers (250): 847 877 917
• Sooke (250): 642 664 867
  • Jordan River (250): 646
  • Port Renfrew (250): 647
• Sparwood (250): 425 910
• Stewart (250): 636
• Summerland (250): 404 494
• Terrace (250): 615 631 635 638 641 892 922 975
• Tofino (250): 522 725
• Trail (250): 231 364 368 512 521 693 921
  • Fruitvale (250): 367
• Tumbler Ridge (250): 242
• Ucluelet (250): 266 726
• Union Bay, including Fanny Bay, Denman Island, and Hornby Island (250): 335
• Valemount (250): 566
• Vanderhoof, (250): 524 567 570 944
• Vernon (250): 241 260 275 306 307 308 309 351 503 540 541 542 543 545 549 550 558 907 938
• Victoria (250): 208 213 216 217 220 294 298 356 360 361 363 370 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 391 405 410 412 413 414 415 418 419 472 474 475 477 478 479 480 483 507 508 514 516 519 532 536 580 588 589 590 592 595 598 634 658 661 686 704 708 721 727 744 800 812 813 818 823 853 857 858 880 881 882 883 884 885 886 888 889 891 893 896 915 920 940 952 953 978 984 995 999
• Wells (250): 994
• Williams Lake (250): 267 302 303 305 392 398 855
• Wynndel (250): 866

Relief planning

The projected exhaust date of area code 250 was January 2008. The plan recommended by the Canadian Numbering Administrator, to change the boundaries of area code 778 to include the entire province, was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on June 7, 2007. Mandatory 10-digit dialing began September 12, 2008. As this solution was an overlay, the existing telephone numbers in area code 250 remained unchanged. Three CO prefixes in the 250 area code were reserved for use by Northwestel, as 13 of its 15 switches at the time could not handle multiple area codes, and its system could not accommodate 10-digit-dialling.

Area code 236 was implemented as a distributed overlay of area codes 604, 250, and 778 on 1 June 2013.

Area code 672 has been reserved for British Columbia once area code 236 is exhausted.

See also

• List of NANP area codes

British Columbia area codes: 250, 604, 778/236/672

	North: 867
West: Pacific Ocean, 907	250 (overlaid by 778 and 236)	East: 780, 403, 587
	South: 604/778/236, 360, 509, 208, 406
Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut area codes: 867
Idaho area codes: 208/986
Washington area codes: 206, 253, 360, 425, 509, 564
Alaska area codes: 907

References

• Deak, JN (17 August 1995). "NANP-Split of 604 (British Columbia) Numbering Plan Area (NPA)" (PDF). Bellcore Letter. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2011. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• "NPA 250/604/778 Relief Planning". Canadian Number Administrator. Retrieved 4 August 2011.

External links

• CNA exchange list for area +1-250
• CNA exchange list for area +1-778
• CNA exchange list for area +1-236
• CNA NPA 250 Relief Planning
• Telecom archives
• Area Code Map of Canada