On the west side of Walnut St., across from the Provincial building sits the former Northwest Telephone Building. This structure was built in 1931 and was the communication center for Powell River

Even in the very early days, Powell River was a model of technology. The Powell River Company placed the latest crank telephones in the mill and department manager's homes as early as 1912. Powell River boasted two firsts in telephone history. The first dial phone system in B.C. was installed in 1921. The system consisted of 200 phones. B.C.'s first radiotelephone circuit was introduced in Powell River in 1930.