311 and 211 explained at GovInfo

311 Halton Government Services will be officially launched today Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 2pm.

What are the differences between 311 and 211?
311 is a three-digit telephone number for callers to get access to the following government services in Halton Region:

· Town of Oakville
· City of Burlington
· Town of Milton
· Town of Halton Hills
· Halton District School Board
· Halton Catholic District School Board
· Halton Regional Police Service (non-emergency calls)
Examples would be: program information, request a service or report non-emergency problems.

Ontario 211, on the other hand, provides information about many community, health and social services, regardless of whether the services are provided by government, not-for-profit or community groups. 211 service is available in Toronto, Halton, Windsor-Essex, Niagara, Simcoe County and Thunder Bay, with plans for further expansion. It's free, operates 24/7 and staff has expertise in 150 languages. See today's Toronto Star Budget to offer Hotline Aid for more information on this great service.