Dozens of payphones removed from UWindsor campus

When was the last time you used a payphone? Reporter Jonathan Pinto went on a hunt for the ghosts of payphones past.

53 of 55 payphones on the chopping block

Jonathan Pinto · CBC News ·
One of the last payphones left is at the CAW Student Centre. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

A few days ago, a friend who works near the University of Windsor told me Bell is removing payphones from nearly every building on campus.

According to the notice posted online by the university's facility services department, I was surprised to read there were 55 payphones on campus. Bell planned to remove 53 of them — leaving just one in the CAW Student Centre and another in the Leddy Library.

Here's the list:

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The University of Windsor isn't alone. According to the CRTC, there were just under 58,000 payphones in Canada as of 2016 — down from nearly 94,000 in 2012.

Unsurprisingly, revenue has taken a nosedive as well, plummeting $23 million in the same four-year period.

I reached out to Bell asking if I could meet up with the technician removing payphones on campus. Sadly, they declined.

Both payphones were pulled out from the basement of the Odette School of Business. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

So, I decided to ask students and staff about their personal relationship with the payphone.

Tap on the player to hear what they said, along with an incredibly relevant song:

Bell Canada is pulling 53 of 55 payphones on the University of Windsor's main campus. Afternoon Drive reporter Jonathan Pinto walked around campus to ask students when they last used one. 2:20

Walking around campus, I started hunting for the ghosts of payphones past. In some buildings, such as Dillon Hall, it was pretty obvious where a payphone used to be.

Perhaps this alcove could be re-purposed for semi-private cell phone calls? (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

In other areas, such as the law school, it was easy to miss.

If you weren't looking close enough, you'd never know there used to be phones here. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

Free emergency phones are still everywhere on campus.

Emergency phones are located inside and outside of buildings. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

This courtesy phone in the CAW Student Centre is apparently quite popular, according to the student I spoke with at the information desk.

As long as you can remember the number, this courtesy phone is perfect for situations where your battery has died. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

And if you really can't bring yourself to use a public phone, the university provides mobile charging stations.

This mobile charging station is located in the CAW student centre, around the corner from one of two remaining payphones on campus. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

Will there ever be a day without payphones?

While it's certainly a possibility, the CRTC requires companies like Bell to give 60-days notice if they're pulling the last payphone out of a community.

Bell sent me this statement when I contacted them for this story:

While payphone usage has declined significantly for many years with the rapid growth of wireless communications, Bell continues to ensure payphones are affordable and accessible, especially in high traffic locations such as airports and other transportation hubs, hospitals and other community facilities.- Nathan Gibson, Bell Media Relations

So it sounds like payphones will be around for at least a little bit longer — you may just have to work a little harder to find one.

About the Author

Jonathan Pinto

Jonathan Pinto is a reporter/editor at CBC Windsor, primarily assigned to Afternoon Drive, CBC Radio's regional afternoon show for southwestern Ontario. Email jonathan.pinto@cbc.ca.

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