The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is upgrading it’s 911 technology.

The SPSA says the improvement is in preparation for system upgrades, and to ensure that the residents of Saskatchewan can continue to depend on timely and efficient emergency services.

However the upgrades will come with a cost.

“In order to fund these upgrades and maintain essential 911 services for Saskatchewan, the monthly Sask911 Fee will be increasing from $0.94 per month to $1.88 per month, effective April 7, 2021. The provincial 911 system is funded through these fees, which are applied to all phone bills,” a news release said.

It will be the first time 911 fees have been increased since January of 2018.

In the future, these fee increases will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index for Saskatchewan to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the system without requiring regulatory changes.

The province says in 2020, 470,000 911 calls were received in Saskatchewan at the three different answering points.