I WAS A UNION MEMBER TWICE: For several summers as a labourer installing gas pipeline in Northern Ontario and for a four month stint as a part-time Bookmobile driver and librarian in Guelph, Ont.
I lived for a few years in Sault Ste. Marie and saw what the Steelworkers have had to go through there with Algoma Steel. I lived in Windsor for three years and the Canadian Auto Workers union was always front and centre.
I say all this to illustrate that I think I have a bit of a grasp on what the union/corporation relationship can be….
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – All the regional telcos used to work together to lobby the government like this under the old Stentor Alliance – an working group that was disbanded years ago when they all decided to compete with one another.
Today, the remaining former Stentor members (with one notable exception) held a joint press conference to make official their appeal to Federal Cabinet over the CRTC’s voice over Internet protocol decision.
The decision, as reported on numerous occasions by www.cartt.ca, says that incumbent telcos have to abide by existing telecom regulations in the way of win-back rules, tariff applications, and…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – There are just under 40 independent telephone companies left in Canada – little telcos that for one reason or another, were never swallowed up by Bell Canada.
All of them, save one, are in Bell’s Ontario or Quebec territory. Of those, there are six which are owned by municipalities: Bruce Municipal Telephone System, Cochrane Public Utilities Commission, Dryden Municipal Telephone System, Kenora Municipal Telephone System, The Corporation of the City of Thunder Bay – Telephone Division, all in Ontario, and Prince Rupert City Telephone, in British Columbia.
This week, the Department of Canadian Heritage closed a comments…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – With provincial telco Manitoba Telecom Services taking away many video subscribers, it’s only natural that Shaw Communications would turn to Winnipeg to launch voice over Internet protocol telephony.
Winnipeg today became the third market where the company has launched Shaw Digital Phone, “a reliable, fully featured and affordable residential telephone service that will offer consumers a real alternative to their current telephone provider,” says Shaw’s press release.
The service includes a local residential line, unlimited anytime long distance calling within Canada and the U.S., and six calling features: Voicemail, call display, call forwarding, three-way calling, call return…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Telecommunications Workers Union president Bruce Bell told CKNW radio host Bill Good yesterday that Telus employees will strike on Friday.
That’s the date Telus said it would unilaterally impose its latest, last, contract offer on its workers, whether their union approves or not.
After four and a half long years without a contract (and without a raise for employees) Telus is fed up, vice-president of corporate affairs Drew McArthur told www.cartt.ca Wednesday.
The union has simply refused to budge, not even putting Telus’ contract offer to a vote among its members. Telus first tabled the offer in…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – While many of their radio brethren have either hopped on board one of the Canadian satellite radio license-holders or appealed to the government to rescind the licenses, Corus Radio and Rogers Radio have stayed on the sidelines.
During a conference call with financial analysts Thursday, Corus Entertainment CEO John Cassaday said that while he envisions some impact from Canadian Satellite Radio and SIRIUS Canada, they’re nothing but new competitors to overcome.
“Our view is that it is possible over time that there will be some impact on in-car tuning to radio but we believe that’s, in all…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – With huge top and bottom line growth in radio, Corus Entertainment today went to some lengths to show that it isn’t just happenstance or an anomaly, but a broad-based resurgence.
The company’s third quarter results, released Thursday, showed the company’s radio profits surged by 21% on a 12% increase in ad revenue. For public companies, this is always challenging. It’s great news now, but then the company is under pressure to grow even more next year.
Company CEO John Cassaday showed financial analysts late Thursday afternoon how broadly-based the spike in ad revenue is, saying 12…
Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – Shaw Digital Cable customers in Vancouver no longer have to log on to the Internet to order video on demand.
Shaw Cablesystems today introduced remote control ordering of VOD movies and entertainment in Vancouver.
Shaw Digital customers in Vancouver will be able to order the most popular new release movies and other programming directly from their remote control, and watch it right away with full DVD capabilities like pause, fast forward and rewind.
While Shaw has offered VOD in Vancouver since 2002, it was only available to those who were also Shaw Internet customers. Movies were ordered…
Continue Reading
CALGARY – Radio segment profit increased by 21% to $22.2 million, while television segment profit was up 15% to $34.7 million for Corus Entertainment as the company reported its third quarter results today.
As for ad revenue, radio posted a 12% increase while the specialty television ad revenue climbed 16%. Corus owns 53 Canadian radio stations and a number of specialty TV channels such as YTV, CMT, W and Scream.
Nelvana, the company’s content division, contributed to the momentum with positive earnings and cash flow for the fourth consecutive quarter, says the company.
"We were very pleased with our…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – While reporting a quadrupling of third quarter net income to $8.2 million Cogeco Cable, the country’s fourth-largest MSO, said the number of telephone customers it has predicted adding is likely conservative.
The company has only been in market with a voice over Internet protocol service since June 8th (and only in some of its markets – Oakville-Burlington launched June 8th, Trois Rivieres three weeks later) and company CEO Louis Audet declined to give any early signup data. However, it has told analysts this year it expected to connect 7,000 to 8,000 telephony customers by the end of…
Continue Reading
