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

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

On 30 December 1907, the Manitoba government purchased the telephone system belonging to the Bell Telephone Company in Manitoba, for the sum of $3,300,000, and established Manitoba Government Telephones to operate them. 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 Paterson (1865-?)

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

1981-1985

Saul Alecs Miller (1917-1993)

1985

Myrna Phillips MLA

1985-1987

Jean W. Edmonds

1987-1989

Paul G. Thomas

1989-1996

Thomas E. “Tom” Stefanson

General Managers / Presidents / CEOs

Period

President / CEO

1972-1974

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

1912-1939

Harold Edward Brockwell (1870-1945)

1939-1945

Ernest Henry Williams (c1879-1965)

1945-1952

James Ferguson “Jim” Mills (1909-1996)

1952-1956

?

1956-1972

Gilbert Alexander Muir (1912-1973)

Buildings

Building

Location

Built

Status

Arborg

?

1922

 

Baldur

?

1928

 

Beausejour

75 Third Street South

1930

 

Binscarth

Municipality of Russell-Binscarth

1929

 

Boissevain

460 South Railway Street

1938

 

Brandon

19 Ninth Street, Brandon

1917

 

Carberry

121 Main Street

c1941

 

Cartwright

?

1929

 

Crystal City

210 Broadway Street

1928

 

Dauphin

305 Main Street North

1916-1917

 

Dominion City

118 Waddell Avenue East

1922

 

Elkhorn

210 Richhill Avenue West

1932

 

Elm Creek

?

1929

 

Emerson

15 Main Street

1928

 

Foxwarren

?

1921

 

Gilbert Plains

113 Main Street North

1927

 

Gladstone

24 Dennis Street

1947

 

Grandview

?

1927

 

Grey

RM of Grey

1952

 

Hamiota

59 Fourth Avenue

1936

Demolished (2005)

Hartney

315 East Railway Street

1947

 

Miami

?

1930

 

Minto

?

1927

 

Morris

RM of Morris

1952

 

Newdale

?

1921

 

Oakland-Wawanesa

Municipality of Oakland-Wawanesa

1952

 

Ochre River

?

1921

 

Plum Coulee

?

1923

 

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

 

Selkirk

321 Manitoba Avenue

1921

 

Shoal Lake

?

1921

 

Sidney

?

1921

 

Souris

27 Crescent Avenue West

1928

 

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

1952

 

Virden

560 Seventh Avenue South, Virden

1930

 

Wawanesa

Third Street West

1924

 

Winnipeg

405 Burrows Avenue (St. John’s)

1911

 

628-640 Corydon Avenue (Fort Rouge)

1907-1968

 

464 Hargrave Street

1919

 

474 Hargrave Street (Garry)

1907

 

230 Martin Avenue West (Elmwood)

1928

 

413 Niagara Street (River Heights)

1929

 

340 Rutland Street (St. James)

1916

 

297 Sherbrook Street (Sherbrook)

1909

 

235A Horace Street (Norwood)

1919

 

101 Victoria Avenue West (Transcona)

1930

 

166 Portage Avenue East

1931

 

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.

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

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

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]

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 18 March 2023

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