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CRTC orders cut to some internet prices amid industry review. What’s going on?

Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/9535980/crtc-internet-competition-price-review/

Click the link above for the full article… By Aaron D’Andrea Global News

 

Canada’s telecom regulator is slashing some wholesale internet prices by 10 per cent while it reviews competition in the internet services industry in a surprise move.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced the price cut Wednesday while it conducts a review into internet services in Canada “to increase competition, create more choice and lower prices.”

 

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Vidéotron accuses Bell of “abusive price increases” in new CRTC application

Source: https://www.itworldcanada.com/article/videotron-accuses-bell-of-abusive-price-increases-in-new-crtc-application/531480

Ashee Pamma IT World Canada

 

In a Part 1 Application filed with the CRTC on Friday, Vidéotron is accusing Bell of excessively increasing the prices of its last-mile services and fibre transport rates in areas where it has a “dominant position or a quasi-monopoly.”

In doing so, Bell contravenes Section 27 (2) of the Telecommunications Act by giving itself undue preference, Vidéotron alleged. In turn, this harms Vidéotron, which will be unable to honour the contractual commitments to its own customers, hence reducing competition in the wireless market. This, it said, affects customers in urban and rural parts of Ontario and Quebec.

Click the source link to read more…

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Fix Employment Insurance – Add your name today

https://www.unifor.org/fixEI#take_action
A well-functioning EI program can bolster good jobs in the economy and provide income security for all.

 

Thanks to the hard work of Unifor members, the federal government has promised changes to Canada’s Employment Insurance (EI) system- but they’re not in place yet.

At the start of COVID, the federal government relaxed EI eligibility to improve access to emergency support for those most in need. Without these supports, it would have been much worse for workers and their families due to the COVID closures, lockdowns and layoffs.

Shamefully, the federal government allowed these rules to expire without implementing the permanent changes needed to make EI work for workers.

An inaccessible and inadequate EI program is another disaster for workers who need access to EI now before the next crisis hits. That’s why we are demanding the federal government immediately implement the following permanent reforms: 

  • An immediate extension to the temporary EI measures which expired on September 25 2022 as a bridge to permanent improvements in Employment Insurance, applied retroactively;
  •  A 360-hour qualifying rule with 50 weeks of income support;
  • Eliminating the 50 week limit on combined special benefits and extend the reference period to at least 104 weeks;
  • Increasing the income replacement rate to 75% and raise the ceiling on insurable earnings;
  • Eliminating the allocation of separations payments;
  • An end to harsh disqualification rules;
  • Ensure migrant workers have access to EI;
  • Ensuring access to benefits for workers who work multiple part-time jobs;
  • Paying off all debt incurred by the EI program due to temporary pandemic measures;
  • Reintroducing federal government contributions;
  • Encouraging adoption of supplemental unemployment benefit (SUB) plans by adding an incentive tier in the premium reduction program; and
  • Continuing to develop a comprehensive plan on how to expand EI to include self-employed, freelancers, independent contractors, and “gig” workers.

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GTAA’s travel cap fails passengers and workers – Unifor calling on aviation to change strategies and end contract flipping

 

TORONTO – Leading up to March break and the busy summer travel season, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) decision to cap flights and the number of travelers fails both passengers and airport workers, says Unifor.

“The GTAA is punishing the traveling public by limiting flights and services as a band-aid solution to airport congestion, instead of fixing the problem by implementing common sense solutions to improve job quality and hire needed workers,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“We need to end the chaos in airports – but a travel cap merely limits supply instead of meeting the demand. At the core of things, this is a failure to keep the aviation industry attractive to workers.”

Unifor has repeatedly called on the aviation industry to change its failing workforce strategies by ending the practice of contract flipping and paying airport workers a living wage.

The GTAA first announced the caps in August 2022 as a stop gap measure to limit baggage handling and security screening needs during peak times.

“Seeing that the plan hasn’t evolved since first announced last summer, shows just how little effort government and industry are putting into solving the underlying problems.” said Payne. “These measures just contribute to angry and frustrated travelers. Putting on a cap today isn’t relieving the pressure for air travel tomorrow.”

Unifor has provided recommendations to airlines, airports, and the federal government consistently over the years. The problems facing the industry are not new but were exacerbated by decisions made during the pandemic to treat the workforce as disposable instead of with respect for the work they do.

The union is asking the federal government to require a minimum living wage at Canada’s airports, which would be $23.15 at Toronto Pearson, end the worst effects of contract flipping by implementing full successor rights, limit the number of ground handling companies that can operate at the airport and develop a solution to the escalating problem of on-the job-harassment.

Unifor also maintains that employers including in air traffic control have been relying on extensive and unfilled overtime to avoid hiring, putting higher demands on the remaining controllers.

“The effects of operating with no resilience in the system have resulted in chaos and now a limit on supply,” said Payne. “Surely, the industry can do better.”