The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada
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dslrocker3 @ 3rd Nov 03:58PM:
The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

For those in the Toronto area and know where New Toronto is, I snapped this shot of a Bell building at 80 Birmingham Street. The building appears to be of the 1920's era and there are schools in the area that have similar archictecture. What stuck out to me was the following words etched in stone: "The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada". When's the last time Bell was refered to as by that name? I wonder if there's any historical significance to this building. It's only a block away from a large rail yard and this area as recent as 10 years ago had old, unused railway tracks that have only been recently removed. This building almost looks as if it might have been a railway station at some point in time. I'm almost willing to bet money that this building houses a central office.

Bell Buidling, New Toronto
Interesting use of Bell Box
that's a lot of cable! (Mimico)

wayjac @ 3rd Nov 04:50PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by dslrocker3 :

What stuck out to me was the following words etched in stone: "The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada". When's the last time Bell was refered to as by that name?

In the 1960's
In the american state of ohio the telco name is
The Ohio Bell Telephone Company
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MacGyver @ 3rd Nov 04:54PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

It used to be a CO, but not any more.

»www.toronto.ca/involved/statutor···07_1.htm

quote:
The Bell Telephone Company retained the property until 1981. The following year, the site was acquired by the current owners who have converted the former switching station into an office building while retaining the historical ambiance and the surviving original architectural features.

peterboro1 @ 3rd Nov 05:00PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

The same name is on the Bell CO in Peterborough.
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dslrocker3 @ 3rd Nov 05:17PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

my suspicions about the age and significance of the building appear to be correct.

macgyver, I now know why they didn't remove the Bell engraving in the building. They aren't allowed to!

I did notice that there is a Bell cabinet still on the outside of the building (second picture) and there is also an RDSLAM across the street.
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sbrook @ 3rd Nov 05:51PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

I know that building well :)

At one time I lived not at all far from there ... went to school on 6th St. and we went to do "shop" on 2nd st ... right opposite the Campbell's soup factory. Every Tuesday morning, when they did onion soup!
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DKS @ 3rd Nov 06:01PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by sbrook :

I know that building well :)

At one time I lived not at all far from there ... went to school on 6th St. and we went to do "shop" on 2nd st ... right opposite the Campbell's soup factory. Every Tuesday morning, when they did onion soup!

I lived not that far from there, as well, although north of the Queensway. Lots of my friends fathers worked at Campbell's, among other plants in the area. Remember the smell from the Humber Treatment Plant and Christie's bakery?
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care.
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sbrook @ 3rd Nov 06:31PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Sure do ... remember the Mimico Asylum further down towards Long Branch? Now a lot of that is part of Humber College.

What I find curious is that a lot of the names of these areas of Toronto are being lost. My daughter was at Humber for a couple years and her grandmother sent her a birthday card addressed to her in New Toronto. Daughter didn't understand the reference to "New"! New Toronto, Long Branch, Mimico, Swansea ... names heading for the history books!
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anon @ 3rd Nov 06:58PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

come on this is getting off track you two
take it to the PMs
where are the mods when you need them? :p
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sbrook @ 3rd Nov 06:59PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Mod's here on a trip down mezmery lane ;)

By your measurement the whole topic's OT! But hey, it's a nice change from all the griping about Bell, no matter how justified it is!
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anon @ 3rd Nov 07:09PM:
msg deleted

deleted by a moderator
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DKS @ 3rd Nov 07:26PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by sbrook :

Sure do ... remember the Mimico Asylum further down towards Long Branch? Now a lot of that is part of Humber College.

What I find curious is that a lot of the names of these areas of Toronto are being lost. My daughter was at Humber for a couple years and her grandmother sent her a birthday card addressed to her in New Toronto. Daughter didn't understand the reference to "New"! New Toronto, Long Branch, Mimico, Swansea ... names heading for the history books!

Yup. And places like Baby Point, Park Lawn, or Stonegate.
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care.
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mr weather @ 3rd Nov 08:32PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by sbrook :

What I find curious is that a lot of the names of these areas of Toronto are being lost. My daughter was at Humber for a couple years and her grandmother sent her a birthday card addressed to her in New Toronto. Daughter didn't understand the reference to "New"! New Toronto, Long Branch, Mimico, Swansea ... names heading for the history books!

When someone long distance calls my home number it shows up on their bill as Streetsville.
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"It's all coming down!!" - Mike Holmes
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sbrook @ 3rd Nov 08:35PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

and where is Cooksville General Hospital now? In fact, where is Cooksville now? Buried somewhere the centre of Mississauga rumour has it!
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DKS @ 3rd Nov 08:59PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by sbrook :

and where is Cooksville General Hospital now? In fact, where is Cooksville now? Buried somewhere the centre of Mississauga rumour has it!

Corners of #5 and #10. Same place it's always been. Kind of like Dixie and Erindale.
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care.
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sbrook @ 3rd Nov 09:25PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

»www.mississauga.ca/portal/reside···rt%3D261

Found it ... a rename made it escape. My sister was born there.
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En Enfer @ 3rd Nov 09:32PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Over here in Montreal, there's no building with the label "La Compagnie de Téléphone Cloche du Canada'". :D
--
Tell your children over dinner, "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."
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sbrook @ 3rd Nov 09:39PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Hmmm or did they go for

Entreprises de téléphone de Bell du Canada

BCE?
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DKS @ 3rd Nov 10:09PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by sbrook :

Hmmm or did they go for

Entreprises de téléphone de Bell du Canada

BCE?

Not in that era. It would have been, in English, "The Bell Telephone Company of Canada." Head office was Beaver Hall Hill, Montreal.
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care.

Glen1 @ 3rd Nov 11:09PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

I knew some people who worked at the Campbell's plant as well as the Goodyear plant and others. Stonegate Plaza is still there but changed over the years...
--
My Canada includes Quebec.
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GojuKid @ 4th Nov 02:25AM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

I live just north of The Queensway & Islington. The Humber treatment plant is still there. Campbells is gone. Mr. Christie cookies smell great! Lots of changes in Mimico the last 40 years! Off topic I know... just couldn't resist a trip down memory lane.

GojuKid
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jfmezei @ 4th Nov 04:53AM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

I suspect that the original name was dropped in late 1970s or early 1980s when Bell formed "BCE" and split its Québec and Ontario operations into 2 different companies held by BCE.

(I believe Sabia reunited the 2 provincial companies during his tenure).
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DKS @ 4th Nov 06:36AM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by GojuKid :

I live just north of The Queensway & Islington. The Humber treatment plant is still there. Campbells is gone. Mr. Christie cookies smell great! Lots of changes in Mimico the last 40 years! Off topic I know... just couldn't resist a trip down memory lane.

GojuKid

There was nothing like a hot summer evening with a south breeze and the smell of Christie's Bread (they did bread there) and the Humber Treatment Plant. :D
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care.
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sbrook @ 4th Nov 09:51AM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Waiting at the Humber loop was always a smelly experience :)
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DKS @ 4th Nov 10:36AM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by sbrook :

Waiting at the Humber loop was always a smelly experience :)

Remember the motel strip on Lakeshore Blvd? One of the signs is now in Meaford.
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care.
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sbrook @ 4th Nov 11:39AM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Most of those motels were still there in the late 80s ... a lot still there just 5 years ago ... but now, most are history!

Of course when I first lived there it wasn't Lakeshore Blvd ... it was Lakeshore Rd and everybody was up in arms about the changing street numbering when the change actually happened.
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DKS @ 4th Nov 12:54PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

said by sbrook :

Most of those motels were still there in the late 80s ... a lot still there just 5 years ago ... but now, most are history!

Of course when I first lived there it wasn't Lakeshore Blvd ... it was Lakeshore Rd and everybody was up in arms about the changing street numbering when the change actually happened.

1967 when Mimico, Long Branch and New Toronto became part of Etobicoke?
--
Need-based health care not greed-based health care.
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sbrook @ 4th Nov 01:47PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Nope ... closer to '61 or '62
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GojuKid @ 4th Nov 03:15PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

They became part of the Township of Etobicoke (later City of Etobicoke) in 1967.
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sbrook @ 4th Nov 03:21PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

I remember that ... but no, it was the name change that was in '61/62 time frame.
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dslrocker3 @ 4th Nov 04:02PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

New Toronto and Mimico are both loaded with remote dslams. I would say that there is an rdslam at most street corners with a traffic light, meaning that I don't believe there will be many DSL "black holes" in these parts of the city. The RDSLAM availability here has greatly improved in the last year or two and have become more visible in the area which appears to be evident as Bell finally agreed recently to connect me to one (non Bell ISP).
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GojuKid @ 4th Nov 05:49PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Hmmm... No dslams around here... I'm stuck at 3008/800. They say there are no upgrades for my area.
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dslrocker3 @ 13th Nov 09:26PM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

I was walking by that area yesterday and noticed a Bell building across the street from the Bell "historical" building on Birmingham street. At 180 Islington Avenue, there's a building with a gold colored Bell logo (a recent version of the logo) with a front door that simply says "co-location entrance". anyone want to place bets that one is in fact a central office?
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MacGyver @ 14th Nov 07:59AM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

No bets required, it is a CO. CO data is publicly available and has been for years.

»jbb.poslfit.com/Pages/416.html
»telcodata.us
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dslrocker3 @ 14th Nov 09:02AM:
Re: The Bell Telephone Company Of Canada

Not that it matters because I'm hooked up to a remote and also since my wiring previously took a trip that was approximately triple the distance of that on a map, but now I know where the bas1-toronto26 comes from.
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