About Hay Communications
We are an independent telecommunications service provider located in Southwestern Ontario. We provide service to the communities of Grand Bend, Zurich, Dashwood, Exeter, Crediton, Centralia, Hensall and the surrounding rural and lakeshore area.
Hay Communications will provide progressive global communications and other technological services to all potential customers within our growing network reach with a superior degree of customer and employee satisfaction.
Our History
In 2011, Hay Communications celebrated 100 years of service. A history book to commemorate this great accomplishment was written by Pat & Max Morden. It contains historical images and facts from our archives. You can view “Connecting Our Communities” at the Zurich Library or digitally here.
We are a Co-operative
7 Co-operative Values
- Voluntary and Open Membership
- Democratic Member Control
- Member Economic Participation
- Autonomy and Independence
- Education, Training and Information
- Co-operation among co-operatives
- Concern for Community
Hay is rooted in this Community, from our municipally owned beginnings to our co-operative restructuring. We are very knowledgeable of our business environment, emerging economic and social requirements. Within our area we have fulfilled the need for quality telephone, internet and other telecommunication services. We continually invest in our community and consequently strive to encourage customer loyalty to maintain the quality of service made available.
In a historic meeting in April of 2018, the members of Hay Communications voted in favour of expanding membership to all eligible customers of the Co-operative.
Therefore: any customer served by Hay Communications’ fibre, coax or copper networks can now be a member of the co-operative, whether they subscribe to television, internet or telephone services.
In 2019 Hay celebrated being a Co-operative for 25 years. In 1994, due to a Federal ruling that all telephone companies would be under Federal jurisdiction, the municipality, with overwhelming public support, changed the operating structure to a cooperative. Hay strives to operate under the 7 Co-operative Values.
Board of Directors
| Don Beauchamp | Andrew Hern |
| Jim Collez | Mark Tucker |
| Jack Glavin | Henry VanderBurgt |
Management
| Angela Lawrence | General Manager |
| Kevin Gingerich | Plant Manager |
as of April 17, 2024
Patronage
The Board of Directors determine the amount of patronage to be returned annually to each member of Hay Communications. Many factors are considered and analyzed, including, but not limited to, the co-operative model, the economic environment, services provided, the current and forecasted financial condition of Hay Communications and both short and long-term capital requirements of the organization.
Scholarships
Since 2007, Hay has been recognizing outstanding youth in our communities. To demonstrate dedication and commitment to education and to rural youth, Hay offers four scholarships of $1,500 each, to students who are currently enrolled in at least their second year as a full time student at College or University.
A call for applications goes out in September each year, usually in the monthly newsletter, on the website and in the local newspaper. Applications and full details are available on the community page of our website and at the business offices. Submissions are due by the end of October.
The determination of the winning applicants is based on community involvement, extra-curricular school involvement, academic achievement and general quality of the application. A “blind” panel judges the applications.
Donations & Sponsorships
Hay proudly sponsors many local events and makes donations to worthy organizations in our community. Whether you are hosting a fundraising golf tournament or a grand gala, we review each request and its impact on residents. All donations and sponsorships must align with our corporate policy.