an end to junk mail for your ears

The CRTC's Do Not Call Registry went live yesterday at 12:01 am.

So many Canadians want off telemarketing lists that 223,000 people had registered for the service by 1:30 pm, and more than one million people tried to access a telephone hotline to register.

"We are victims of our own success," said CRTC spokesperson Denis Carmel. "At one point, 18,000 tried to get through at the same moment. If you would have told me these numbers yesterday, I would have laughed."

The Do Not Call list will prevent telemarketers from calling people who are on the registry. It won't, however, block pollsters or charities.

To sign up for the service, visit the CRTC.