Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. Holds 2014 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

Company releases its first Corporate Social Responsibility report

WINNIPEG, May 13, 2014 /CNW/ - Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (the "Company" or "MTS Allstream"), today held its Annual General Meeting of shareholders at the Metropolitan Entertainment Centre in Winnipeg where the election of the board of directors occurred, including the appointment of one new director - Judi Hand. The meeting also included presentations by Chair, David Leith and Chief Executive Officer, Pierre Blouin highlighting the steps the Company has taken to strengthen itself for the future.

"After navigating through a series of unique events over the past year, MTS Allstream is moving forward leaner and stronger," said CEO Pierre Blouin. "In an increasingly competitive market with challenging regulations, I am proud that MTS has continued to deliver solid operating results and leading market shares across nearly all product lines. This is proof of the quality of our team and our Company, and the strong relationships that we have within this province.  At Allstream, we took actions to reenergize our division and bring it back to past performance levels and we are making good progress.  Our success in connecting new buildings has far exceeded the goals we set three years ago and we are very proud of the customer experience Allstream provides, which is a clear competitive advantage."

At the meeting MTS Allstream tabled its first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report, developed in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative's guidelines - the gold standard in corporate social responsibility reporting.   A short video featuring MTS's multifaceted community investment strategy focused on helping Manitoba youth overcome barriers, called MTS Future First, was also shown at the meeting.

"Our Company has always played an important role in our communities and our corporate social responsibility report marks a major milestone as we are documenting our CSR journey for the first time," added Mr. Blouin.

Joining the Company's Board of Directors is Judi Hand.  Ms. Hand brings to the Board extensive experience in sales, service and marketing within telecom markets at all levels. The Company's 10 returning directors include Pierre J. Blouin, Jocelyne M. Côté-O'Hara, N. Ashleigh Everett, The Honourable Gary A. Filmon, Gregory J. Hanson, Kishore Kapoor, David G. Leith, H. Sanford Riley, D. Samuel Schellenberg and Carol M. Stephenson.  Detailed voting results regarding the election of directors are provided in the footnote below.

Also at today's meeting,  Ernst & Young LLP were appointed as the auditors of the Company and the Company held its third annual advisory vote on executive compensation, or "say on pay", which was approved by the Company's shareholders.   Detailed voting results regarding these resolutions are available on SEDAR.  Additional information on the business of the meeting is contained in the Company's Management Proxy Circular, which was filed on April 11, 2014. For the second year, shareholders received this year's Circular via "Notice and Access" rules, which permits MTS Allstream to issue its Circular and Annual Report digitally. Approximately 500 trees and more than 17 million litres of fresh water will be saved through this initiative.

For more information on the annual general meeting and a copy of the Chair's and CEO's remarks, visit the Investors section of www.mtsallstream.com.

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS Allstream)
MTS Allstream is one of Canada's leading national communication solutions companies, providing innovative communications for the way Canadians live and work today. The company has more than 100 years of experience, with approximately 5,000 employees across Canada. MTS Allstream's business is dynamic and consists of two operating divisions. In Manitoba, MTS is the leading full-service telecommunications provider for residential and business customers. MTS's suite of services includes the latest in wireless technology, broadband services, IPTV, voice services, home security, and an extensive range of business solutions. Across Canada, Allstream is a leader in IP communications and is the only national provider that focuses exclusively on the business telecommunications market. MTS Allstream has nearly two million customer connections spanning business customers across Canada and residential consumers throughout the province of Manitoba. The Company's extensive national fibre optic network spans more than 30,000 kilometers. MTS Allstream has spent 13 consecutive years on the Jantzi Social Index for leadership in social responsibility, and is ranked among the top 10 in Corporate Knights' 2014 Future 40 Most Responsible Corporate Leaders in Canada.

MTS Allstream's common shares are listed on the TSX (trading symbol: MBT). Customers, stakeholders and investors who want to learn more about MTS Allstream are encouraged to visit: www.mtsallstream.com. For more information about MTS's products and services, please visit www.mts.ca. For more information about Allstream's products and services, please visit www.allstream.com.

Forward-looking Statements Disclaimer
This news release includes forward-looking statements and information (collectively, the "statements") about the Company's corporate direction, business opportunities, operations, financial objectives and future financial results and performance that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. As a consequence, actual results in the future may differ materially from any conclusion, forecast or projection in such forward-looking statements. Therefore, forward-looking statements should be considered carefully and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Examples of statements that constitute forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "project", "should", "anticipate", "could", "target", "forecast", "intend", "plan", "outlook", "see", "set", "pending", and other similar terms.

Factors that could cause anticipated opportunities and actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, matters identified in the "Risks and uncertainties" section and elsewhere in the Company's 2013 Annual MD&A and 2013 Annual Information Form, all of which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Please note that forward-looking statements reflect Management's expectations as of today. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Footnotes:

¹ Voting results on the election of directors are as follows:

Director	Votes For %	Votes For #
Pierre J. Blouin	99.5	37,469,141
Jocelyne M. Côté-O'Hara	93.3	35,129,167
N. Ashleigh Everett	93.3	35,153,614
Hon. Gary A. Filmon	92.6	34,881,669
Judi Hand	99.6	37,514,105
Gregory J. Hanson	97.0	36,541,085
Kishore Kapoor	99.5	37,478,317
David G. Leith	98.9	37,237,044
H. Sanford Riley	96.5	36,350,617
D. Samuel Schellenberg	99.2	37,359,588
Carol M. Stephenson	91.7	34,530,603

SOURCE: MTS Allstream

Media: 

Samantha Lapedus
Corporate Communications 
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Investors:

Paul Peters
Investor Relations
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