B.C. is getting a new area code — its 6th

Move over 604, 778, 250, 672 and 236.

British Columbia is about to get a brand new addition to its suite of telephone area codes.

The 257 area code will be introduced to the province gradually starting on May 24 of next year to meet the growing demand for new phone numbers.

According to a report to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the province will exhaust all numbers under existing area codes by May 2026.

"The introduction of a new area code creates millions of additional telephone numbers without affecting the existing numbers," said Kelly Walsh, program manager with the Canadian Numbering Administrator.

The introduction of a new area code will not affect the geographic boundaries for local calling areas or the way local or long-distance calls are dialled. 

The announcement also notes that only new telephone lines are affected by the addition and that the 911 emergency number remains unchanged.