Area code 778

778 is a British Columbia area code. It started on Nov. 3, 2001, for the Vancouver area, Abbotsford and Mission, and has covered the whole province since July 4, 2007. Early 778 numbers came from the Lower Mainland; newer ones can come from anywhere in B.C.

• Nov. 3, 2001778 numbers first issued, Vancouver area only
• July 4, 2007778 extended to all of B.C.
• 311Exchange areas, all in B.C.
• 2032B.C.'s forecast exhaust year, in July

Where 778 numbers are issued

Today 778 covers all 311 B.C. exchange areas in the administrator's listing, the same ground as 604, 250, 236, 672 and 257.^1,3

It started smaller. The CRTC launched 778 in 2001 as a concentrated overlay: a second code for the exchanges in and around the Greater Vancouver Regional District, plus Abbotsford and Mission.⁴ The rest of the 604 area kept a single code.³

From the Vancouver area to the whole province

Most people who commented on the 604 shortage in 2000 objected to an overlay or to ten-digit dialling. The CRTC picked the concentrated overlay as a middle path that it said combined the advantages of a municipal split and a full overlay, and noted that a move to ten-digit local dialling had already begun across North America.⁴

778 went live on Nov. 3, 2001, and ten-digit local dialling began in 604 and 778.^3,4 Then 250 ran short. The administrator declared a jeopardy condition for 250 in September 2006, and on June 7, 2007, the CRTC extended 778 to all of B.C. and let unused 604 prefixes be assigned anywhere in the 604 region.^3,5

The new boundary took effect July 4, 2007. The 250 area kept seven-digit local calls for another year, until ten-digit dialling became mandatory there in September 2008.⁵ The administrator's history marks 778 with a footnote: it wasn't a new code in 2007, but an existing one put to work as relief for the rest of the province.³

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.^2,3,8

When B.C. needs a seventh code

Since 778, B.C. has added 236 in 2013, 672 in 2019 and 257 in May 2025.^2,8,9 The administrator's July 2026 forecast gives the six codes until July 2032. B.C. isn't in relief planning, and NANPA has reserved 926 for the next round.¹⁰

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.¹⁰ Our area code lookup lists the forecast for every area.

Calls from 778 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.¹¹ 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.¹²
• 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.^11,12
• Don't tap links in texts. Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM), then delete them.^12,13
• 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.^11,13
• Cut down on telemarketing. Register your number on the National Do Not Call List and file a complaint about unwanted telemarketing calls.¹¹

What people are saying

We read Vancouver and Victoria threads on Reddit about calls from B.C. numbers.

• "Anyone else get suspicious phone calls from numbers similar to yours? They are in the format 778###AAAA where only AAAA is different from your number."

  Post title on r/askvan, Dec. 4, 2024¹⁴

  The CRTC calls this "neighbouring": altering caller ID to match the first six digits of your own number.¹¹

• "I've started getting multiple calls a day to my 250 area-code cell number, from random 250 or 778 numbers. If I pick up, nobody's there."

  Poster on r/VictoriaBC, Sept. 18, 2026¹⁵

  Since 2007 a 778 number can belong to anyone in B.C., Victoria included, and the number on the screen may not be the caller's.^3,11

• "Easy trick: a real local call will have +1 on your caller ID (i.e. +1(250)-123-4567), while a spam call will only have the area code like (250)-123-4567"

  Commenter on r/VictoriaBC, Sept. 18, 2026¹⁵

  We found no official source for this. The CRTC says callers can alter what your call display shows, so the format of a number doesn't prove the call is real.¹¹

Claims we checked

• False
  778 was established in 2001 for the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

  KrispCall's 778 page says this.¹⁶ In 2001 the CRTC limited 778 to the Greater Vancouver Regional District, Abbotsford and Mission. Vancouver Island was in the 250 area and only got 778 when the code went province-wide in July 2007.^4,5

• False
  778 was expanded to the 250 region on Oct. 27, 2007.

  Calilio's 778 page gives that date.¹⁷ The CRTC set the boundary change for July 4, 2007, and the administrator's history lists it in July 2007.^3,5

• Out of date
  B.C. has five area codes.

  KrispCall's 778 page says this.¹⁶ B.C. has had six since 257 started on May 24, 2025.^2,9

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 relief report, the NANPA database, CRTC Order 2000-786 and CRTC decisions 2007-38, 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.