Residents of this small B.C. community fought to keep their phone booth — and won | CBC News

Residents of a small rural community in southern B.C. were disappointed to learn earlier this month that their local payphone was slated for removal. 

The old-school coin-operated phone booth in the community of Bankeir, B.C., about 40 kilometres northeast of Princeton, is a necessary and essential communication tool, particularly for visitors, according to a local business owner. 

“There’s no cell service here, so the payphone is the only option here,” said David Christian, co-owner of Trailside Cabin Rentals.

“A lot of travellers who come here don’t realize there’s no cell service here, so the payphone fills the gap.”

Telecommunication providers such as Telus and Bell have been decommissioning payphones because they are hard to fix and are rarely used due to the prevalence of cellphones. 

In 2019, Bell said it had 20,000 fewer payphones Canada-wide than it did five years earlier, with the majority of the remaining phones located in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. 

When the residents of tiny Bankeir found a notice earlier this month from Telus posted on the booth stating it would be disconnected on Dec. 12, they lobbied the company to leave the phone alone. 

“We posted it on our local community Facebook page the day that the notice went up and that conversation just blew up,” said Christian.

The residents sent emails to Telus, challenging its decision for several reasons, with safety chief among them.

Christian says a working payphone becomes particularly important during emergencies, like a crash that happened in the community earlier this year. 

“There was a fellow that needed to have the air ambulance and when the air ambulance did arrive, the pilot needed to use the payphone,” he said.

Telus heard the residents’ concerns and reversed its decision. 

In a statement to CBC News, Telus said the payphone will continue to remain in service as “we continue to explore options to provide wireless connectivity in the area.

“We are thoughtful about removing payphones and work closely with local businesses, municipal governments, and the community to ensure there are alternate options within a reasonable distance before a payphone is removed,” Telus said in the statement. 

Being one of the few payphones still operating in B.C., the booth at Bankeir has become a landmark of sorts, according to Christian. 

Trailside Cabin Rentals advertises the “famous booth” to prospective visitors, noting that it’s “great … for photo ops.”