Guide
Choosing Canadian numbers for local presence
Most Canadian provinces are served by overlays: several area codes covering the same territory, added as numbers ran out. That makes Canada different from the US for local presence. In Saskatchewan or Manitoba, every code covers the whole province, so one number is local to everyone. In Toronto, a lead can have any of four codes. This guide explains how that affects which numbers to buy and how TopReach picks between them.
How many area codes does Canada have?
Canada has 55 geographic area codes in service, according to NANPA's report dated November 7, 2026, with three more approved: 273 (eastern Quebec, February 27, 2027), 851 (Nova Scotia and PEI, May 27, 2028) and 568 (Alberta, June 10, 2028).
New codes in Canada are added as overlays rather than splits: the new code serves the same area as the existing ones, and nobody's number changes. Canada also has non-geographic codes (600, 622 and 633) that aren't tied to a place and aren't used for local presence.
How does TopReach's local presence pick a Canadian number?
Before each call, TopReach chooses the caller ID from your team's pool in this order: the number the lead was last called from, if it's still in the pool and local to them; a number with the lead's area code; a number from the lead's province or territory; and otherwise your usual number.
The province is worked out from the lead's area code. Shared codes count for each place they serve, so a 902 lead in Charlottetown matches a 902 or 782 number you hold, and an 867 lead matches an 867 number whichever territory they're in. Codes that are approved but not yet in service, such as 273, 851 and 568, are already mapped to their province, so leads who get those numbers match from the first day.
When several of your numbers qualify, TopReach uses the one with the fewest calls in the last 24 hours, which spreads volume across the pool. Callbacks to any pool number ring the rep who last called that lead.
What happens when you don't have the lead's exact area code?
The province fallback takes over: any of your numbers from the lead's province or territory qualifies, and TopReach picks the least used.
In a province with one overlay complex, such as Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba, that's effectively a perfect match. In Ontario and Quebec, it means a lead in Gatineau could see a Montreal number if that's your least-used Quebec number, or a Thunder Bay lead a Toronto one. If that matters for your market, buy a number in the codes your leads use most in each area.
- Province-wide codes (AB, SK, MB, NB, NL, NS and PEI, territories): one number covers the province.
- BC: one number covers the province, though 604 and 250 still read as Vancouver area and elsewhere to many people.
- Ontario and Quebec: one number per area you call often, such as Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, beats one per province.
- Re-check the coverage view in TopReach: it lists each province you call, how often people answer there and which numbers cover it.
How many Canadian numbers does a team need?
Start with one number in each province or area you call regularly, then add numbers where daily volume grows. Ten numbers, one for each province and territory group, cover every Canadian lead with a number from home, for $100 a month at $10 a number.
TopReach's coverage view suggests another number when an area's daily volume reaches about 75 calls a number, a rule of thumb to keep numbers clear of spam labels. One number can be on several calls at once, so reps don't need numbers of their own.
Do calling hours change by province?
The CRTC's calling window is the same everywhere, 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends, but it applies in the lead's local time, so it opens and closes at different moments across the country.
TopReach's dynamic lists work out each lead's time zone from the area code and only call inside that window, never on statutory holidays. Saved static lists and a rep's own calls aren't held to it, so keep those inside the window yourself. Our calling hours tool shows the window in each province.
What do Canadian numbers cost in TopReach?
Canadian and US numbers cost the same: $10 a number a month, in US dollars, like every TopReach price. Local presence is included with the $99-a-month phone license, which also covers power and parallel dialing and 3,000 calling minutes a month. Seats are $55 a month, or $49 billed yearly.
Numbers come from TopReach's carrier partner and are assigned to your workspace; you choose the area code when you buy. Availability in a given code depends on the carrier's stock at the time, and when a code has none, another code in the same area or province works through the fallback.
