MHS Centennial Business: Manitoba Government Telephones / Manitoba Telephone System / MTS Allstream / Bell MTS

Link to:
Commissioners / Chairman | Superintendents | Chief Engineers | Buildings | Sources

On 15 January 1908, the Manitoba government completed the purchase of the telephone system belonging to the Bell Telephone Company in Manitoba. It paid the sum of $3,300,000 and established Manitoba Government Telephones to operate the system. It was renamed the Manitoba Telephone System around 1921. Later known by the acronym MTS, in 1996 the firm was privatized by the provincial government of Gary Filmon. All assets of the company were purchased by Bell Canada in March 2017, and it now operates as Bell MTS.

On 5 April 2008, an MHS Centennial Business Award was presented to MTS Chief Executive Officer Pierre Blouin, at the Third Annual Manitoba Business Adventurers Banquet, by Manitoba Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard, MHS President J. M. Bumsted, and Asper School of Business Dean Glenn Feltham.

Commissioners / Chairs

Period

Commissioner / Chair

1908-1912

Francis Charles “Frank” Paterson (1865-1955)

1912-1921

George A. Watson

1921-1945

John Edmond Lowry (1880-1951)

1945-1954

Peter McAusland Millar (1889-1964)

1954-1974

James Ferguson “Jim” Mills (1909-1996)

1974-1980

Gordon W. Holland

1980-1981

William John Antliff Bulman (c1929-2023)

1981-1985

Saul Alecs Miller (1917-1993)

1985

Myrna Phillips MLA

1985-1987

Jean Warna King Edmonds (1921-1994)

1987-1989

Paul G. Thomas

1989-1996

Thomas E. “Tom” Stefanson

General Managers / Presidents / CEOs

Period

President / CEO

1962-1974

James Ferguson “Jim” Mills (1909-1996)

1974-1986

Gordon W. Holland

1986-1987

Edward J. Robertson

1987-1990

Reg Bird

1990-1991

Dennis H. Wardrop

1991-1993

Oz Pedde

1993-1996

Bill Fraser

Superintendents

Period

Superintendent

?-1948

Henry “Harry” Coddington (1883-1965)

Chief Engineers

Period

Chief Engineer

1912-1940

Harold Edward Brockwell (1870-1945)

1940-1945

Ernest Henry Williams (c1879-1965)

1945-1952

James Ferguson “Jim” Mills (1909-1996)

1952-1956

?

1956-1972

Gilbert Alexander Muir (1912-1973)

Noteworthy Employees

Name

Period

Position

R. C. Brown

c1921

District No. 2 (Portage) District Superintendent

F. W. Brownell

c1921

Construction and Maintenance Superintendent

J. W. Delaney

c1921

Auditor

William Alexander Dyer (1866-1931)

c1921

General Agent, newsletter editor

Edwar Gilbert Hunt (1876-1943)

1908-?

City Plant Superintendent

A. P. Jamieson

c1921

Cash and Paymaster

W. F. Minty

c1921

Supplies Superintendent

H. M. Patterson

c1921

District No. 1 Superintendent

H. A. Reed

c1921

Traffic Superintendent

Claude Hilton Snider (1872-1935)

1908-1935

District No. 3 (Brandon) District Superintendent

Buildings

Building

Location

Built

Status

Arborg

?

1922

 

Austin

?

1967

 

Baldur

?

1928

 

Beausejour

75 Third Street South

1930

 

Binscarth

Municipality of Russell-Binscarth

1929

 

Boissevain

460 South Railway Street

1938

 

500 Mountain Street

1963

 

Brandon

19 Ninth Street

1917

 

816 Princess Avenue (CKX Radio)

1928

Demolished (1941)

220 Eighth Street (CKX Radio)

1941

 

Carberry

121 Main Street

c1941

 

Carman

?

1956

 

Cartwright

?

1929

 

Cranberry Portage

?

1968

 

Crystal City

210 Broadway Street

1928

 

Dauphin

305 Main Street North

1916-1917

 

39 Third Avenue Northeast

1951

 

Dominion City

118 Waddell Avenue East

1922

 

Waddell Avenue East

1968

 

Elgin

?

1927

 

Elie

?

1968

 

Elkhorn

210 Richhill Avenue West

1932

Demolished (?)

Elm Creek

?

1929

 

Emerson

15 Main Street

1928

 

Dominion Street

1967

 

Eriksdale

?

1966

 

Flin Flon

31 Third Avenue

1950

 

Foxwarren

?

1921

 

Gilbert Plains

113 Main Street North

1927

 

Gimli

?

1963

 

Gladstone

24 Dennis Street

1947

 

Grandview

228 Roland Avenue

1927

 

Grey

RM of Grey

1950

 

Hamiota

59 Fourth Avenue

1936

Demolished (2005)

Hartney

315 East Railway Street

1947

 

Headingley

?

1968

 

MacGregor

?

1967

 

Miami

?

1930

 

Middlebro

?

1968

 

Minto

?

1927

 

Morden

357 Stephen Street

1923

 

Seventh Street

1960

 

Morris

RM of Morris

c1952

 

Neepawa

Hamilton Street

1966

 

Newdale

?

1921

 

Oakland-Wawanesa

Municipality of Oakland-Wawanesa

1950

 

Oakville

Third Avenue

1967

 

Ochre River

?

1921

 

Pinawa

Burrows Road

1963

 

Pine Falls

?

1950

 

Plum Coulee

?

1923

 

Poplarfield

New Plains Road

1966

 

Portage la Prairie

16 Royal Road South

1910

 

Reston

401 Third Avenue

1917

 

Rivers

?

1930

 

Roblin

130 Second Avenue NW

1928

 

Roland

?

1928

 

Russell

Westbourne Street West

1918

 

St. Malo

?

1968

 

Ste. Rose du Lac

First Avenue East

1967

 

Selkirk

321 Manitoba Avenue

1921

 

Shoal Lake

?

1921

 

Sidney

?

1921

 

Souris

27 Crescent Avenue West

1928

 

Sperling

Main Street

1931

Demolished (2011)

Steinbach

222 Main Street

1958

 

Stonewall

336 Main Street

1941

 

Swan River

114 Fifth Avenue North

1921

 

Teulon

52 Main Street

1938

 

The Pas

154 Third Street West

1928

 

Treherne

?

1923

 

Victoria

RM of Victoria

1950

 

Virden

560 Seventh Avenue South, Virden

1930

 

Wellington Street West

1968

 

Vita

?

1968

 

Wawanesa

24 Government Road

1924

Demolished (?)

Winkler

Third Street

1963

 

Winnipeg

405 Burrows Avenue (St. John’s)

1911

 

628-640 Corydon Avenue (Fort Rouge)

1907-1968

 

691 Gateway Road (East Kildonan)

1969

 

464 Hargrave Street

1919

 

474 Hargrave Street (Garry)

1907

 

230 Martin Avenue West (Elmwood)

1928

 

413 Niagara Street (River Heights)

1929

 

2765 Pembina Highway (Fort Garry)

1966

 

2491 Portage Avenue (St. James

1952

 

340 Rutland Street (St. James)

1916

Demolished (2022)

460 St. Anne's Road (St. Vital)

1956

 

297 Sherbrook Street (Sherbrook)

1909

 

235A Horace Street (Norwood)

1919

 

101 Victoria Avenue West (Transcona)

1930

Demolished (?)

166 Portage Avenue East

1930-1932

 

235A Horace Street (Norwood)

1938

 

489 Empress Street

1960-1962

 

See also:

A History of the Telephone in Manitoba by Gilbert A. Muir
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1964-1965 Season

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Manitoba Government Telephones War Memorial (Winnipeg)

Manitoba Organization: Telephone Curling Club

Frequently Asked Questions: Winnipeg Telephone Exchanges

Sources:

“Tenders,” Russell Banner, 18 July 1918, page 11.

“Lowry will be new telephone commissioner,” Winnipeg Tribune, 9 February 1921, page 1.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 28 March 1921, page 12.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 July 1922, page 18.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 May 1923, page 14.

“Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 30 August 1927, page 17.

“Awarded contracts for three exchanges in telephone centres,” Manitoba Free Press, 17 September 1927, page 38.

“Peter Millar named 'phones commissioner,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 February 1945, page 25.

“Tenders Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 June 1950, page 28.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 22 May 1948, page 9.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 August 1948, page 21.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 February 1950, page 29.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 August 1950, page 33.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 July 1951, page 27.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 September 1951, page 27.

“New $135,000 St. James telephone exchange,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 September 1952, page 14.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 February 1953, page 21.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 February 1953, page 32.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 March 1954, page 25.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 March 1954, page 34.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 March 1955, page 32.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 June 1956, page 12.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 November 1956, page 37.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 June 1958, page 38.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 April 1959, page 24.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 November 1959, page 32.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 April 1960, page 31.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 18 October 1960, page 35.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 March 1962, page 39.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 March 1963, page 51.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 August 1963, page 18.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 May 1966, page 14.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 October 1966, page 28.

Banner County: History of Russell and District, 1879-1967 by Russell Women's Institute, 1967.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 August 1967, page 10.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 August 1967, page 58.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 October 1967, page 40.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 November 1967, page 41.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 November 1967, page 51.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 29 March 1968, page 41.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 April 1968, page 36.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 May 1968, page 27.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone Systemm” Winnipeg Free Press, 29 August 1968, page 56.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 September 1968, page 18.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 October 1968, page 42.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 January 1969, page 47.

“Tenders, Manitoba Telephone System,” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 March 1971, page 25.

People of Service: A Brief History of the Manitoba Telephone System, 3rd edition by Robert H. Drain for MTS Corporate Communications, Winnipeg, 1991. [Manitoba Legislative Library]

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Jordan Makichuk.

Page revised: 11 March 2024