TORONTO – Accusations of unfair conduct, cautious optimism and a Ben Affleck meme – the Canadian Telecom Summit’s regulatory blockbuster panel, held Tuesday, had it all.
The panel (pictured above left to right) was moderated by Globe and Mail reporter Alexandra Posadzki, and featured Ceri Howes, head of regulatory at Opensignal, Dennis Béland, vice-president of regulatory affairs, telecommunications at Quebecor, Geoff White, executive director of Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC), Paul Beaudry, vice-president of regulatory affairs at Cogeco, Ted Woodhead, senior vice-president of regulatory at Rogers Communications, Samer Bishay, CEO of Iristel and Stephen Schmidt, vice-president of telecom policy…
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Annual parade returns as nighttime event at Canada’s Wonderland
TORONTO — Bell Media announced today this year’s Original Santa Claus Parade will once again be presented as a two-hour primetime event, filmed at night inside Canada’s Wonderland amusement park north of Toronto and aired exclusively on CTV, CTV2 and CP24 on Saturday, Dec. 4 starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Unlike last year’s event, which was closed to the public due to Covid-19 health concerns, this year a limited number of families will experience the magic of the parade in person at the festively decorated park, while adhering to all local health…
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Natale and board unable to reach “mutually agreeable arrangement.” Search is on for permanent replacement
TORONTO – Joe Natale is out as CEO of Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) effective immediately, RCI announced Tuesday night.
Tony Staffieri has been appointed interim president and CEO, a press release says. Staffieri is also a candidate for the permanent position, which RCI’s board is now looking to fill, according to the release.
“On behalf of the Rogers family, the Board and our 24,000 team members across the country, I thank Joe for his leadership and contributions to our company, including paving the way for our…
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VANCOUVER — Shaw Communications announced today Shaw Mobile and Freedom Mobile customers can now talk, text and stream when riding through all tunnels of TransLink’s SkyTrain system in Metro Vancouver.
“Beginning today, Shaw Mobile and Freedom Mobile customers can access fast LTE services when travelling through the Evergreen Tunnel between Burquitlam and Moody stations on the Millennium Line as well as the Columbia Station and Millennium Tunnels between New Westminster and Sapperton stations on the Expo Line,” reads a press release.
These network upgrades follow the 2018 expansion of LTE network access throughout the Dunsmuir Tunnel, and make it possible…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – CRTC chairman Ian Scott (above) said Monday the contested acquisition of 5G spectrum licenses by Quebecor’s Videotron in Western Canada is an example of what the regulator envisioned when it made the decision to allow regional competitors to force negotiations for wireless network space from the larger providers.
The regulator’s April decision allows regional carriers to negotiate access to the wireless facilities of the incumbents – Rogers, Bell, Telus and Sasktel – as long as they have spectrum and network facilities in the area they want to provide mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service….
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GATINEAU – The CRTC has officially denied the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and National Pensioners Federation’s (PIAC-NPF) procedural request to delay the hearing into the broadcast side of the deal between Rogers and Shaw.
PIAC-NPF had requested the hearing be delayed because of uncertainty around who was on the company’s board of directors, which arose when Edward Rogers, as chair of the Rogers Control Trust, decided to change five directors by written resolution – a move the company said was not valid. The matter ended up in front of the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
In letters sent…
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COAST SALISH TERRITORY, VANCOUVER — B.C.’s Coastal First Nations (CFN) and Rogers Communications announced today a partnership agreement to support the growth of a conservation-based economy through improved connectivity for underserved, rural and Indigenous communities, as well as to advance CFN’s environmental stewardship work through technology and academic research.
The partnership includes several initiatives that will be announced between today and into 2022, says a press release.
One of the first initiatives will see Rogers build five new cell towers to provide more than 100 kilometres of new service coverage along Highway 16 from Masset through Port Clements to Queen Charlotte,…
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CALGARY — Shaw Communications announced today its annual Shaw Charity Classic golf tournament and related fundraising activities helped to raise a record of nearly $14.8 million this year for 233 children’s charities across Alberta.
The Shaw Charity Classic, which is the only Canadian stop on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, was given the greenlight to take place in Calgary this past August, after being cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19.
Since its inception in 2013, the event has raised more than $76 million for Alberta youth charities, primarily through its Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink charitable program, according to…
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TORONTO — NBCUniversal International announced today its all-reality TV subscription streaming service hayu is now available on LG smart TVs running webOS 4.0 through webOS 6.0 in 27 territories, including Canada.
The hayu app offers more than 8,000 episodes of reality content across more than 300 series, including Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Below Deck and the Real Housewives franchises. The service’s wide variety of unscripted sub-genres include home and design, dating, cooking, fashion and true crime.
A Canadian subscription to hayu costs $5.99 per month.
“This has been an incredible year for hayu, with multiple successful launches into new territories and…
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Focus now on Shaw as company tells CRTC hearing must proceed as planned
TORONTO – Rogers Communications Inc. announced Sunday evening it will not seek an appeal of Friday’s British Columbia Supreme Court ruling, which settled the matter of who is actually on RCI’s board of directors. This would seem to put an end weeks of drama over who controls the company.
On Friday, Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick ruled in favour of Edward Rogers, chair of the Rogers Control Trust, who was seeking orders related to the board changes he made by written resolution in late October, which were…
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