BURNABY, B.C. – Lee Riggs was elected president of the Telecommunications Workers Union during the recent 2013 Annual TWU Convention which took place in Calgary, Alberta, from May 6-10.
Riggs, a 50-year-old native of Kelowna, B.C., was hired at 19 to work for BC. Tel (later to become Telus). He has been a labour activist his entire career and has held many positions within the TWU. He was first elected as a TWU business agent in 2006.
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TORONTO – Mobilicity announced today that its debtholders have approved the plan for Telus to acquire the wireless carrier for $380 million.
“This is a significant step towards final approval of the plan through which the business, combined with the financial strength of Telus, can be continued in a way that will benefit our customers and employees,” said Mobilicity president and COO Stewart Lyons in a prepared statement.
In a separate release,Telus CMO David Fuller said of today’s vote: “Today’s positive vote is an important step on the road to allowing Telus to sustain service…
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OTTAWA – Participants in the 700 MHz spectrum auction will run amok of anti-collusion rules if they speak with the media after they file their applications on June 11 and until they make their final licence payments, Industry Canada has determined.
The revelation comes in the department’s answers to clarification questions which were published Tuesday, May 21. Question 2.13 asks “When is the ‘auction process’ considered to have started?”
The following is what Industry Canada had to say.
“Any communications from an applicant and its affiliates, associates or beneficial owners or their representatives that discloses or comments on…
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MONTREAL – As part of a new campaign to find and promote emerging talent in Canadian cinema, Telefilm Canada has announced it is supporting a new Vancouver-based, reality-show style competition to provide a million dollars to fund a new feature film.
Telefilm made the announcement Sunday during its Talent To Watch event at the Cannes Film Festival, where it introduced Brad Pelman, president of distribution and sales of the CineCoup Film Accelerator, to industry players.
The CineCoup Film Accelerator is a unique model for indie filmmakers to develop, market and finance their feature films. Filmmaking…
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GATINEAU – Bell Canada and Astral Media say the list of new regulatory safeguards it has agreed to should allay any fears the CRTC has of a combined company – and that the deal should be approved.
In its final written submission to the CRTC filed late Tuesday, the companies say they have agreed to “an unprecedented package of regulatory safeguards relating to terms of trade with all independent producers, the negotiation of affiliation agreements (including tied selling, packaging flexibility, and other terms), the no head start rule, the availability of non-linear content, the timing of the Commission’s dispute resolution…
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VANCOUVER – Telus announced Thursday that, pending some government and debtholder approvals, it will acquire Mobilicity for $380 million.
If the deal receives the required approvals, it would ensure continued service to Mobilicity’s 250,000 customers without the risk of disruption, says the press release the companies issued.
Without this deal, Mobilicity would likely end up seeking bankruptcy protection in short order. Of course, it remains to be seen what government thinks of this and whether or not it will grant the request to shift Mobilicity’s spectrum to Telus immediately. DAVE, Mobilicity’s parent company, purchased the spectrum for $240 million in 2008…
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CANNES, France – Amidst the glamour of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) announced today it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) to enhance co-production opportunities between Canadian and Australian independent screen-based producers.
The agreement is a framework outlining the associations’ commitment to develop various initiatives, including ways to help each other’s members exchange information, network with each other and establish a mentoring program.
“Excellent content knows no borders, especially in the digital economy. It just has to resonate with consumers,”…
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TORONTO – Some of Ontario’s best and brightest minds will be showing off their newest ideas, innovations and solutions at the eighth annual Discovery 2013 innovation conference and tradeshow at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre May 27 and 28.
Describing it as Canada’s premier innovation to commercialization event, Discovery highlights ground-breaking work in sectors like cleantech, advanced health, digital media, information and communications technologies, and advanced manufacturing. The trade show and conference, organized and operated by Ontario Centres of Excellence, also provides a venue for attendees and exhibitors to network, make deals and find export opportunities…
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MONTREAL – IDNR-TV (Natural Resources TV) is hoping a new survey that shows six in ten Canadians would support free access to the channel devoted to the nation’s natural resources industry will provide sufficient proof to the CRTC that it deserves to be given mandatory carriage status.
According to the Harris Decima survey commissioned by IDNR-TV, 60% of respondents said they are in favour of having free access to the natural resources channel. Broken down by province, respondents in British Columbia (64%), Ontario (63%), Quebec (51%), and the Maritime Provinces (67%) showed interest in IDNR-TV’s programming,…
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TORONTO – While analysts view today’s announcement that Telus has agreed to purchase floundering wireless newcomer Mobilicity for $380 million as a win for both companies, the bigger, as-yet unanswered question is whether or not Industry Canada and the Competition Bureau will allow the incumbent telco to buy a new entrant, a move that flies in the face of Industry Canada’s plan to have four wireless players in each region of the country.
“The situation is getting messier for the government,” says Scotia Capital analyst Jeff Fan. “The bottom line is this makes it less likely…
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