Bell Aliant Tower

Bell Aliant Tower
The Bell Aliant Tower as seen from ground level
General information
Type	Telecommunications
Location	Downtown Moncton
Coordinates	46°5′23.86″N 64°46′35.54″W / 46.0899611°N 64.7765389°W / 46.0899611; -64.7765389Coordinates: 46°5′23.86″N 64°46′35.54″W / 46.0899611°N 64.7765389°W / 46.0899611; -64.7765389
Completed	1971
Owner	Bell Aliant
Height
Antenna spire	127 m (417 ft) (Equiv. to approx. 32 floors)
Technical details
Lifts/elevators	1

The Bell Aliant Tower, formerly known as the Aliant Tower and older still, the NBTel Tower, is a 127 metre high tower of reinforced concrete located in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. It is used to provide directional radio services. It is the tallest freestanding structure in all four Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador).

The NBTel Tower was the subject of litigation in John Maryon Int Ltd v. NB Telephone Co [1982] N.B.J. No. 387 (N.B. C.A.). In his decision on the case, Justice LaForest provided substantial background on the early history of the tower:

During the construction phase of the tower, only two people ever stood on top of the red beacon at the top of the tower, Bob Sweet and John Brophi, both were engineers on the project.

At the time of its construction, Aliant Tower was the tallest microwave communications tower of its kind in North America. It remains the tallest structure in Moncton, dwarfing the neighbouring Place L’Assomption, one of the tallest office buildings in the Province, by 46 metres. Aliant Tower is also recognized for its importance as a symbol of economical and technological growth in Moncton’s history. In choosing Moncton as the location for this innovative tower, NBTel claimed to be predicting where the growth of the Province as a whole would take place. The tower’s placement at the corner of Botsford Street and Queen Street is also significant. The tower sits on the site of Moncton’s first telephone exchange, which was started in 1883 by George C. Peters with five subscribers.

The tower has become an icon of the city since its construction because of unique design. In most print media that involves the depiction of the City of Moncton almost always features some depiction of the tower. To many, it is also the first thing that is noticed when approaching the city from the ground or air because of its height and lack of competition on the skyline. In the past, it was easily noticed by city residents because the satellites and openings that surround the top of the tower would be lit up after dark, but because of recent budget cuts and lack of use, Bell Aliant no longer lights the tower up to save on electricity and maintenance costs.