Calgary 
Manager of Citizen Services Clarke Bellamy
City of Calgary has released a list of loopy queries and chuckle-worthy calls made around the last holiday season.
The city gets more than 3,000 calls a day that can reach upto 5,000 during the summer months.
Amongst the among the tens of thousands of calls to the 311 agents, these are some of the funniest interactions:
- Somebody called in to check if he had any outstanding warrants.
- A lady who lived near Fish Creek and was tired of deer running across her back yard. She suggested the City put up a ‘Deer Crossing’ sign at the end of her street so the deer would know where to go.
- There was a call about the aggressive pancake-stealing squirrel
- One person wanted city to do something about a restaurant that may be watering down its root beer.
- Somebody wanted to know “Do I need to dial 4-0-3 before I dial 9-1-1?”
- A frantic caller dialed in to ask if it is OK to cook a frozen turkey in the oven or if it needed to be thawed and, if so, how long would that take?
- “What is the distance between Mercury and Earth?”
- “How do you get cat urine out of your carpet?”
City of Calgary reminds that the funny calls are good for a giggle, they make up an infinitesimal amount of the serious inquiries that come in every day.
The City of Calgary’s 311 team responds to citizen inquiries and assigns City crews based on these requests. Everything from Roads issues to Animal Services, bylaw rules to hours of operation for City services. They also assist City business units by providing trends and performance tracking information. If something is happening in Calgary, they are usually the first to know.
There is a 311 Live Map where citizens can track where work is being done or check on the status of service requests. The 24 hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week operation also offers support in more than 200 languages through its translation service. They are available by mobile app, phone or online.
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