Just to add my 2 cents here: The 888 # is the inland line, but the 613 # transfers to you to the same line. They are the same queue, but he/she just got lucky with the wait time.
You can't directly call the 888 # from outside the US, but you can get transferred to it via "1 1 1" on the 613 #. If you appear to be from outside the US, they won't transfer you though. The 888 # (or 1 1 1 option on the 613 #) is intended for inland. That's why you have to do *67.
As a technical aside: you can't block your caller ID to toll-free (800, 888, 866, etc) numbers. That's why calling the 888 # with *67 doesn't work from the US. They get all the data about who is calling since they are paying the bill.
However with the 613 #, you are paying the bill, and thus you can block your caller ID.
All of the above is to the best of my understanding, but I think he/she just got lucky on the hold time.
PS - I don't know why you'd say you're calling from the US when you're in Canada and the number is intended just for inland uses, either.