OLIVA PRATTE AND THE BIRTH OF THE SYNDICATE

The man who most affected the history of telephone service in the Valcourt region is undoubtedly Oliva Pratte.

At the beginning of the 1940’s, realizing that he was not the only one having problems getting reliable phone service, Pratte started recruiting others to form a syndicate to buy the Phaneuf Telephone System. Inspired by his courage and tenacity, many other equally unhappy subscribers agreed to join forces with him to undertake a project that some viewed as impossible. His struggles, over a period of 4 years, combined with Hector Bélanger and his team, turned Oliva Pratte’s dream into reality in 1944.

VALCOURT TELEPHONE COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION

In February of 1968, the Valcourt Cooperative Telephone Syndicate changed its corporate name and became, for the next ten years, the Valcourt Telephone Cooperative Association.

On July 20, 1979, the Valcourt Telephone Cooperative Association received approval from Quebec Telecommunications to continue functioning under the name the Valcourt Telephone Coop.

COOPTEL, TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOP

On June 5, 1998, the Government of Quebec approved a request from the cooperative’s management. The Valcourt Telephone Cooperative would henceforth be known under the name CoopTel, Telecommunications Coop and it is under this banner that it has sailed into the third millennium. In 2003 the current logo was designed and since 2005 the letterhead “CoopTel, Quebec’s only telecommunications cooperative” has been in use. By mentioning this fact on its logo, CoopTel affirms its distinctiveness in the world of Canadian telecommunications, dominated by large, private and often multinational operations.