Saskatchewan getting new 474 area code

Some Saskatchewan residents will soon be getting new phone numbers.

After 10 months of deliberations, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved a plan to add the 474 area code to some Saskatchewan numbers.

In a recent media release, the CRTC said that “relief for area codes 306 and 639 in Saskatchewan is to be provided by implementing a distributed overlay of new area code 474,” with the new area code coming into effect Oct. 2, 2021.

In March 2018, the CRTC heard that the 306 and 639 area codes were projected to be exhausted in June 2022. After looking into the matter, the CRTC determined that the two area codes would reach what the commission called their “exhaust date” in September of 2022.

According to the CRTC, the proposed start date of October 2021 will give customers enough notification and lead time before the projected exhaustion date.

Saskatchewan has had the 306 area code since 1947. The 639 area code was added in 2013.