Chris Lowrey
PONTIAC May 22, 2018
After years of land line outages throughout the Pontiac, it looks like the region will finally get the redundant phone lines that have been sorely needed.
Bell announced that it will be spending more than $2 million to improve its telecommunications network in the region.
The phone line is expected to be up and running by Sept. 2018.
The telecommunications giant will build an additional link between the telephone exchanges in Chapeau and Pembroke.
The current phone line for the region runs alongside Hwy. 148.
The issue of landlines suddenly going silent is a problem that is all too familiar for Pontiac residents.
It means that people can’t even call emergency services from their land lines.

With cellular service in the Pontiac spotty at best, this puts residents at an increased amount of danger should an emergency arise.
In 2008, a fire tore through a barn in Luskville and the blaze was so hot that it burned through the phone lines, cutting service to the Pontiac for over nine hours.
At the time, the cost to put redundant lines in the Pontiac was estimated around $750,000 – less than half of the current project.
Another disruption occurred in 2011 and lasted for 10 hours.
After the 2011 outage, the MRC sent a letter to Bell explaining the situation but received no reply. This prompted the MRC to file its first complaint with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
In August of 2012, MRC Pontiac sent a letter to Bell asking for more information about the outages. There was no reply.
Around the same time, Bell Aliant corporate affairs manager Norma Hughes said the installation of a redundant phone line would be a “huge capital investment.”
Hughes also said that it wasn’t feasible at the time to install the redundant lines.
“The installation of redundancy in the Pontiac requires considerable investment and we are in discussion with various levels of government to try and develop solutions,” Hughes said to THE EQUITY at the time.
During a presentation in 2014 to the MRC council of mayors, Bell Aliant said that it would analyze the situation and respond rapidly.
However, a lack of progress forced the MRC to file a second formal complaint with the CRTC in July of 2014.
In 2015, the phone lines went silent again while Bell cut phone service to the Pontiac when it performed routine maintenance. Unfortunately, Bell didn’t inform the MRC or emergency services.
Regardless of how long it took to announce the project, Pontiac MP Will Amos is happy the deal is finally coming to fruition.
“I’m glad that Bell was so willing to engage,” Amos said. “The public spoke loud and clear.”
Another issue that Amos has his sights set on is the sub-par internet service in the Pontiac.
“I expect we’ll have good news to announce in due course,” Amos said. “It’s coming.”