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One of the more scenic disasters winter has jammed down Halifax’s throat is this snow-filled phone booth outside the Halifax Forum.
 Bell Aliant is responsible for the booth’s upkeep, and to their credit a technician flushed the icy mess out a few days after The Coast reported the problem.
While phone booth stuffing is (apparently) “one of the all-time great fads,” this barely-usable box instead seemingly fell victim to a culture increasingly uninterested in public payphone service. Which is cause for concern.
In a report released last month, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission found payphone call volumes have been falling steadily by 24 percent a year. The number of payphones in Canada—roughly 55,000—is a third of what it was a decade ago. Yet 32 percent of Canadians say they’ve used a public payphone at least once in the past year.

Meanwhile phone companies are increasingly yanking out the costly service. Bell and other companies told the CRTC they’re paying to maintain 636 pay phones that haven’t been used in more than a year.
Money losers for thirsty corporations like Bell, yes, but payphones can be vital for low-income and high-risk communities. Those without access to landline or cellular phones still rely on payphones. The same can be said for anyone in an emergency. It’s not the quantity of call volume, but the importantance of those few calls that are made that prove the need for this public service.
“Although payphones are no longer used as much as in the past, they continue to play an important role in society and serve the public interest,” said CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais in a press release. “For this reason, we want to make sure that Canadians are notified when certain payphones are removed in their communities, and that they have the opportunity to share their concerns with local authorities.”
Previously, the CRTC didn’t allow removing the last public telephone from a community. But now the CRTC is loosening that requirement by letting telephone companies take away the service provided they “notify communities affected, including municipalities and First Nations.”
The new regulation probably won’t amount to much. Rural and urban “communities” and advocacy groups could take their concerns to government forces, but there’s no requirement for the tech companies to listen.
Halifax, meanwhile, is happily marching to offer free wi-fi in the downtown. It’s a welcome idea, but the city should remain vigilant in coming years that those unable (or unwilling) to own a phone aren’t left out in the cold.
If you spot any payphones needing repairs, Bell Aliant spokesperson Katherine VanBuskirk says to phone 611 (presumably on your mobile).
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This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2015.
When I visited Amsterdam in 1994, I relied on pay phones to call home for extra money. The problem was there were few – even in such a large city. But they had already created a well-used cell network. NO ONE I met had a home phone; they used cheap and reliable cell service. Note, that was back in 1994.
I can understand the need to access to telephone services as it has become a necessity of life; no longer a luxury. But is it phone booths that we need or do we need to create conditions whereby low-income earners and high-risk community members actually have a phone and service?
To the point @Hing! How much does it cost to own a cell phone in Halifax? Assuming just 1 hour of talk per month. I am currently living in Shanghai, China, I barely call anybody, and my monthly cellphone bill comes in around 30 RMB, or 6 CAD.
i wonder if it would be cheaper for bell to offer a number of subsidized burner phones instead of payphones?
The cost of a phone and its service must come down considerably – and can; the government has no balls to enact legislation that will deconstruct monopolies and create better conditions for people in general. Autonomy and autocracy rule. It’s beneficial for the rich and for those who have power.
It’s not Bell’s job to offer “subsidized” phones for welfare parasites. Why don’t you socialists commies hipsters give out free phones then?
It’s not Bell’s job to offer subsidized phones for welfare recipients, it’s a business not a welfare charity, why are Leftists always trying to dip into productive peoples’ pockets to subsidize the unproductive? Why don’t you socialist hipsters let homeless people into your house to use your internet and phone then?
So all Homeless people in Halifax can go to The Coast’ office and use their phone internet and washroom right?