Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai is calling on two telecommunications giants in Canada — Rogers Communications and TELUS Corporation — as well as their respective subsidiaries to follow Bell Canada’s example: compensate Yukoners for continuing service woes.
On Sept. 10, Pillai wrote to presidents Tony Staffieri of Rogers and Darren Entwistle of TELUS about ongoing inadequate cell phone service experienced by Yukoners. Pillai’s office provided the letter to media and Pillai posted the letter to social media.
The premier notes residents and businesspeople have complained about the service issue, which has been a “significant” source of concern.
“While Yukoners understand and appreciate that most of the telecommunications services they use runs off of Bell infrastructure, I cannot overstate the frustration that Yukoners have expressed about the unreliable cell phone service across the territory,” Pillai wrote.
“The impact on daily life, work, and safety has been profound, and there is a strong demand for accountability and action from all service providers in the region.”
Pillai told each of the two other telecom presidents that he commended Bell’s move to compensate Yukon-based customers affected by service disruptions, as well as their commitment to fixing the problem by investing in the territory’s infrastructure.
Earlier this summer, Pillai put Bell CEO Mirko Bibic on blast. Pillai called for Bell to pay back Yukoners for "embarrassing" service, even in the downtown of Yukon's capital, including dropped calls, call interruptions and poor coverage.
Since then, Pillai said he has heard of Bell customers who are calling a new Yukon-specific line that was set up by Bell and getting a one-month credit on their bills. He advised Yukoners using a different carrier to call their service provider and ask for credit.
In the letter, Pillai argued that Rogers and TELUS compensating Yukoners would address their customers’ frustrations and show their commitment to service quality and client satisfaction in the North.
“I trust that you will give this matter the attention it deserves and take appropriate steps to compensate your customers for the inconvenience they have endured,” reads Pillai’s letter.
According to Yukon government cabinet communications, Pillai had not received a response from Rogers or TELUS as of around 8 p.m. on Sept. 11.
The News reached out to each of the companies for an opportunity to respond but didn’t get a response by the given web publication deadline.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
