Area code 236

236 is a British Columbia area code, issued since June 1, 2013. It covers the whole province, from Vancouver and Victoria to Kelowna, Prince George and Fort Nelson, on the same ground as 604, 250, 778, 672 and 257. Most of B.C. now stays on UTC−7 all year.¹

• June 1, 2013236 numbers first issued
• 311Exchange areas, all in B.C.
• 6Codes sharing the province
• 2032B.C.'s forecast exhaust year, in July

Where 236 numbers are issued

The Canadian Numbering Administrator lists 311 exchange areas for B.C.'s six codes, all inside the province.² The CRTC made 236 a province-wide overlay, so a 236 number can come from Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, Fort Nelson or Atlin.^2,4

604 and 250 still carry the 1996 split. 604 covers Vancouver, the rest of the Lower Mainland, Abbotsford and Mission, and 250 covers Vancouver Island and the rest of the province.⁵ 778, 236, 672 and 257 cover both halves.

How B.C. ended up with six codes

604 covered all of B.C. until 1996, when 250 split off.⁵ 778 came in 2001 for the Vancouver area only, and in June 2007 the CRTC stretched it across the province to relieve 250.^5,6 The same decision reserved 236 for B.C.'s next shortage.⁷

That shortage showed up in the 2010 forecast, which moved B.C.'s projected exhaust date in by almost three and a half years, from December 2019 to July 2016. The next forecasts pulled it in to November 2014, then September 2014.⁸ On July 28, 2011, the CRTC chose 236 as a province-wide overlay starting June 1, 2013, and set aside 672 for later.⁴

The CRTC decided against adding two codes at once. Given how volatile recent forecasts had been, it said two new codes wouldn't be an efficient use of numbering resources.⁴

Exact dates are NANPA in-service dates, except 672, where we use the start date the CRTC set. NANPA's file gives 672 the same in-service date as 236, June 1, 2013, so the lookup above shows 2013 for it.^3,5,9

When B.C. needs a seventh code

The administrator's July 2026 forecast has B.C.'s six codes lasting until July 2032, and the province isn't in relief planning.¹¹ The administrator also notes that NANPA has reserved 926 for B.C.'s next relief.¹¹

B.C. is sixth in line among Canada's 18 areas, behind eastern Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia and P.E.I., the region around Toronto and eastern Ontario.¹¹ Our area code lookup lists the forecast for every area.

Calls from 236 numbers

The CRTC says callers can change what shows on your call display, including copying the first six digits of your own number so a call looks like it comes from a neighbour.¹² The code on your screen tells you where a number was issued. It doesn't tell you who is calling.

• Don't trust call display. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says never to assume the number on your screen is accurate, for calls or texts.¹³
• Call back on a number you find yourself. If a caller says they're from your bank, a service provider, the police or a government agency, hang up and call the number on your card, your statement or the organization's website.^12,13
• Don't tap links in texts. Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM), then delete them.^13,14
• Report it. Report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or to your local police, even if you didn't lose money.^12,14
• Cut down on telemarketing. Register your number on the National Do Not Call List and file a complaint about unwanted telemarketing calls.¹²

Claims we checked

• False
  Seven new area codes were introduced in B.C. in 2013, including 236.

  Calilio's 236 page says this.¹⁵ 236 was the only new B.C. code in 2013. The CRTC chose one code that year and set aside 672, which didn't start until May 2019.^4,9

• Misleading
  236 is an overlay for 604, so it shares 604's geographic area.

  KrispCall's 236 page says this, though it also says the code serves the whole province.¹⁶ The CRTC laid 236 over 250, 604 and 778, the whole of B.C. 604 itself covers only the Lower Mainland, Abbotsford and Mission.^4,5

Questions people ask

How we did this

We counted exchange areas in the Canadian Numbering Administrator's listing dated Oct. 7, 2026, and took the history from the administrator's relief history, its archived 250 and 250/604/778 relief reports, the NANPA database and CRTC decisions 2007-38, 2011-451, 2018-58 and 2023-135. The forecast comes from the administrator's Sept. 29, 2026 status report, and B.C.'s time rules from the Government of B.C. Advice on calls comes only from the CRTC, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Government of Canada. Reddit quotes are verbatim, with usernames left out. The clock uses fixed offsets and B.C.'s 2026 time rules, not your device's settings.

Area codes change slowly, but new codes, forecasts and time rules do move. Each change goes in the update log below.

Update log

• Oct. 7, 2026, 10:19 p.m. ETFirst published. Data checked against the numbering administrator's and NANPA's files dated Oct. 7, 2026.