Almost 2.7 million phone numbers on do-not-call list

TORONTO - The new national do-not-call list designed to ward off unwanted sales pitches from telemarketers had registered nearly 2.7 million phone numbers as of Wednesday, nearly one week after overwhelming demand crashed the website.
The strong uptake appeared to confirm CRTC projections that 60 per cent of the 27 million residential telephone numbers in Canada would be registered on the list within the next two years.
The federal regulator launched the registry at midnight Sept. 30, and in the first nine hours more than 200,000 numbers were added to the list.
The crush of people trying to sign up caused the website to freeze up in the early going, with 80,000 people trying to log on at once. The telecommunication agency's telephone hotline was also flooded, making it tough for people to get through.
Convenience store worker Jacky Peng was among those stymied by the overloaded line.
"I didn't have the time to wait," Peng, 50, said while at his job in downtown Toronto.
He still plans to sign up and said he'll register the number connected to his fax machine, which is switched off most of the time because of all the junk mail it receives.
Once a number is on the list, telemarketers are barred from dialing it and face a hefty fine if they do. If a registered household files a complaint, the maximum fine is $1,500 for individual telemarketers and $15,000 for companies.
One of the common complaints about telemarketers is their tendency to call during supper. For shift workers, there's another problem.
"Sometimes people sleep in the day, and the (telemarketers) phone for nothing," said Toronto resident Gary Lu. "You can't go back to sleep. It ruins your whole day."
Although the CRTC has already received some complaints from people registered on the list, it's too early for the telecommunications regulator to act on them.
"Not everyone is aware there's a grace period for 31 days," said spokesman Denis Carmel, noting it gives telemarketers time "to clean up their lists."
Even after the grace period, the registry doesn't automatically stop all calls. Canadian registered charities and political parties and candidates are still allowed to call for donations, and newspapers can call selling subscriptions.
Businesses are also allowed to call their customers for 18 months after a transaction.
Lucy Randall, a Toronto hair stylist, said she doesn't plan to put her number on the list.
"It's no big deal. They're just doing their jobs," said Randall, 42.
"You just say `no thank you.' It takes all of two seconds."
As of Wednesday, 2,690,936 numbers had been added to the list of phones that telemarketers cannot call.
Ontario residents led the pack with 1.3 million numbers signed up, while Quebec followed with 477,000 and Alberta with 300,000. British Columbia had 265,000, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island 93,000, Manitoba 80,000, New Brunswick 53,000, Saskatchewan 50,000, and Newfoundland and Labrador 28,000.
The Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon had 1,600 numbers registered.
Canadians can register at www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca or by calling 1-866-580-3625.
The U.S. has had a no-call list since 2003, with more than 145 million phone numbers registered since then.