Bell MTS

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  "body": "<h2>Bell MTS: An early history of Bell in Manitoba</h2><p>Less than a year after its incorporation in April&nbsp;1880, Bell begins to look west, acquiring the Winnipeg telephone assets and 26&nbsp;subscribers of Horace McDougall, local manager of the Northwest Telegraph Company. Shortly after a formal agreement is signed on February&nbsp;21,&nbsp;1881, Bell ships its first switchboard west and Ida&nbsp;Cates becomes the first female operator in Bell’s Winnipeg office. Exchanges are eventually established in Portage-La-Prairie and Brandon, adding another 73&nbsp;subscribers. In&nbsp;1886, Bell erects the first long distance line in Western Canada between Winnipeg and Selkirk, a distance of 35&nbsp;kilometers. Toll line construction accelerates between&nbsp;1900 and&nbsp;1906, tripling the number of subscribers and eventually enabling service between Winnipeg and&nbsp;Regina.</p><p><em></em></p><img asset_uid=\"blte03c36a9acfac5b4\" src=\"/cdn/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmlvL3YzL2Fzc2V0cy9ibHRmYTgyMjcxYzllZDAxMDBiL2JsdGUwM2MzNmE5YWNmYWM1YjQvNjlhODU2NzY5MjcwMDI1YWY3MDM0ODJjL3N0b3J5LWJlbGxtdHMtMWEuanBn\" alt=\"story-bellmts-1a.jpg\" height=\"auto\"/><p><em>Left – Ida Cates.</em>\n<br/><em>Right – Switchboards in Winnipeg, 1896.</em></p><p><em></em></p><img asset_uid=\"blt6418473fb5be3b00\" src=\"/cdn/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmlvL3YzL2Fzc2V0cy9ibHRmYTgyMjcxYzllZDAxMDBiL2JsdDY0MTg0NzNmYjViZTNiMDAvNjlhODU2NzY5YWU4YjQ5YjkxNDAzZmIxL3N0b3J5LWJlbGxtdHMtMWIuanBn\" alt=\"story-bellmts-1b.jpg\" height=\"auto\"/><p><em>Bell office, Thistle Street, 1905.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p>In October&nbsp;1895, Bell President C.F.&nbsp;Sise proceeds with the construction of a company-owned building on Thistle Street (now Portage Avenue). The office becomes operational on November&nbsp;1,&nbsp;1896. A third storey was added in&nbsp;1900 with total square footage doubling by&nbsp;1905. A common battery switchboard is installed sometime around the turn of the century.</p><p>In 1906, despite strong public demand for a government-owned telephone system in Manitoba, C.F.&nbsp;Sise moves ahead with construction on a second Bell office in Winnipeg at 599&nbsp;Henry&nbsp;Avenue, along with a central office in Fort&nbsp;Rouge.</p><p>The government of Manitoba eventually acquires Bell’s operations in the province and equipment is formally transferred on January&nbsp;15,&nbsp;1908. The government offers employment to Bell’s 700&nbsp;employees located in the province.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em></em></p><img asset_uid=\"blt009c3fb61fe328bd\" src=\"/cdn/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWFnZXMuY29udGVudHN0YWNrLmlvL3YzL2Fzc2V0cy9ibHRmYTgyMjcxYzllZDAxMDBiL2JsdDAwOWMzZmI2MWZlMzI4YmQvNjlhODU2NzZjZmRmZDZjNGRkMzFlYTNiL3N0b3J5LWJlbGxtdHMtMi5qcGc=\" alt=\"story-bellmts-2.jpg\" height=\"auto\"/><p><em>Left – Bell technicians in Brandon, Manitoba, 1907.</em>\n<br/><em>Right – Telephone lines being installed on Winnipeg’s Main Street, 1903.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p>Nearly 100 years after leaving the province, BCE announced plans to acquire Manitoba Telecom Services&nbsp;(MTS), a strategic investment to bring our Fibe&nbsp;TV and Internet, mobile broadband networks, media and business services to millions of Manitobans. Based in Winnipeg, the new Bell&nbsp;MTS brand officially launched on March&nbsp;17,&nbsp;2017.</p>",
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  "created_at": "2026-03-04T20:49:22.258Z",
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  "title": "Bell MTS",
  "updated_at": "2026-03-04T20:53:43.828Z",
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  "url": "/bell-mts-an-early-history-of-bell-in-manitoba",
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