This is a minor factoid, but one I’ve always found interesting. My Dad owns the Pharmasave in the small town of Merritt, BC. It’s got a population of about 10,000.
As I understand it, every telephone number in town starts with 378. So, if you meet somebody new who lives in town, you just have to give them four digits. How cool is that? Is this a common practice across Canada?
DarrenBarefoot.com 
Indeed it is. I have relatives in the maritimes who do the same thing. Oh to be where phone numbers aren’t ten digits. . .
I had the same experience in Hope. All phone numbers there are 869 exchanges (although I think that may have changed in the last year or so).
I grew up on the north island in Gold River… not only did we need to only tell people four digits, for most of the time I was there you only had to dial the four digits. Just before I moved to Victoria you had to dial ‘3’ in front of any numbers that started with a ‘2’ (i.e. You only had to dial ‘7497’ to call me, but you had to dial ‘32449’ to call my buddy Brad).
Same here in Emo, Ontario — population 1500. You darn townies who need your “10-digit-dialing-code” to call your neighbour. Sheesh.
This is a standard practice governed by the NPA (Number Planning Authority I think). The after the area code, the next 3 digits are called the NXX, and each one maps to a specific region. Cell phone numbers kinda messed this up, but the interesting problem is that we are running out of numbers in North America as the # of cell phones and other edge devices that have phone numbers increases.
Anyway, here’s a neat tool:
http://puck.nether.net/npa-nxx/
while vacationing in sioux lookout, ontario (pop. 5,000) this summer, i rediscovered this practice. then again, i remembered when the entire town had one postal code (P0V 2T0, don’t ask me why i remember this). those damn superboxes ruin everything!
I grew up in Terrace, B.C. when all the numbers started with 638 or 635, so we’d just give the last 5 digits (5-1234, for example). Then the population started to grow and people started getting cell phones and they introduced 615, and it threw our whole system off :p Postal codes there still all start with V8G.
Ah, the simple life.
This goes beyond North America. I grew up in Norway, and my buddy’s gf lived in a nearby small town, where people gave out only the last four digits of their eight-digit phone numbers. Life sure is different in small places.
I grew up in Portlaw, Co. Waterford, Ireland. We only have to give out our last three digits, as all phone numbers begin with 387.
Where I went to university in East Texas (yes, I know, not Canada) we had the same thing. Everyones phone numbers started with 56 so you only needed 5 digits. The crazy thing is one only had to dial those 5 digits and it would go through. After 2 years at school that was changed and all 7 digits had to be used. many people were upset by that.
Last time I was on Galiano it was 4 digit. Very calm – not using those other, now six digits, adds, well, seconds, to your day.
I live in Arnprior Ontario,
Until 3 years ago,, we only had prefix 623, so you could just say your last 4 digits,,, now we have a prefix of 623 and 622, so you have to identify now.
but not for years and years earlier!