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Bell acquires Longueuil-based Internet provider EBOX

Source: BCE News Releases

Bell acquires Longueuil-based Internet provider EBOX

  • EBOX to continue offering residential Internet services to consumers in Québec and parts of Ontario under the EBOX brand

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 24, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ – Bell today announced it has acquired EBOX, an Internet, telephone and television service provider based in Longueuil, Québec. Bell will maintain the EBOX brand and operations, and EBOX will continue providing compelling telecommunications services for consumers and businesses in Québec and parts of Ontario.

As part of its commitment to provide Québec residents with fast, reliable telecommunications services now and in the future, Bell invests heavily in network infrastructure and expansion throughout urban and rural Québec. Under Bell, EBOX will benefit from the resources and scale necessary to support the growth of the business and continue delivering improvements to the great services at competitive prices that have earned them loyal customers over the past 25 years.

“The acquisition of EBOX will further strengthen Bell’s presence in Québec, a key market for our business. I want to commend the founders, Jean-Philippe Béïque and Dominic Letourneau, for the great work they have done with EBOX to bring this company to the level it has reached today. I’m very proud and grateful that they put their trust in Bell to continue their mission in Québec.”
–  Karine Moses, Vice Chair, Québec, Bell

As part of this acquisition, Bell participated in a formal sale process, initiated by the EBOX founders. After 25 years leading EBOX, M. Jean-Philippe Béïque and M. Dominic Letourneau have decided that the time is right to step away from the business to pursue other challenges. EBOX will continue to operate on a standalone basis based in Longueuil and existing operations will continue under the leadership of Isis Thiago De Souza, VP and General Manager, EBOX.

“We are delighted to join the Bell family and continue the great work that Jean-Philippe and Dominic started 25 years ago to provide great Internet service to customers in Québec and Ontario. This acquisition will enable EBOX to continue to provide great value and service to our customers with the added benefit of Bell’s scale and technology to help us grow our business and make EBOX available to even more residents and businesses in the years to come.”
–  Isis Thiago De Souza, VP & General Manager, EBOX

BCE News click the link at the top

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February 23 is Pink Shirt Day

February 23 is Pink Shirt Day, when we can all take a stand against bullying. We too often see communities, workplaces, and families being divided. Through these divides, some have permitted, and even encouraged, bullying behaviours in the name of their cause.

This is harmful, and no matter the reason, we should never harm each other. Tomorrow, lets all wear pink t-shirts and send a unified message that we are standing up against any form of bullying.

Pink Shirt Day began in 2007 when a student in Nova Scotia was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. It has since been recognized annually worldwide as a day to stand against bullying.

For Pink Shirt Day 2022, we are calling on Unifor members to wear pink, post on social media and send photos of themselves wearing pink shirts to support anti-bullying.

I’m wearing pink on #PinkShirtDay to stand up to bullies. Today and every day, @UniforTheUnion stands against bullying.

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Unifor opens talks with Bell Aliant demanding jobs stay in Atlantic Canada

HALIFAX- Contract negotiations kicked off today for 1,700 members who work for Bell Aliant across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

“These proud Atlantic Canadian workers have had enough of Bell Aliant shipping their work out of the region or overseas,” said Chris MacDonald, Unifor Assistant to the National President. “In today’s opening day, they laid down a clear demand that Bell Aliant keep the work in Atlantic Canada where the profits are made.”

Members are seeking an end to Bell’s concerted strategy of job erosion. Since purchasing Bell Aliant in 2014, hundreds of jobs have been lost from this bargaining unit through processes like contracting out.

“I’m proud of these members and their solidarity with the entire bargaining committee for taking such a firm stand in these negotiations,” said Roch Leblanc, Unifor Telecommunications Director.

Negotiations began with the union and the employer exchanging proposals on Friday, February 18, 2022. Talks are scheduled to continue on March 1, 2022.

The previous collective agreement expired on December 31, 2021.

In the past week, more than 15,000 members including Atlantic and Clerical workers in Quebec and Ontario as well as for members at BTS have opened negotiations with the company.

Bell Aliant workers are represented by Local 401, Local 410, Local 506 and Local 2289.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

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World Day of Social Justice 2022

More than 60% of the world’s employed population – that is, 2 billion women, men and youth – earn their livelihoods in the informal economy.

Few workers choose the informal economy.  Workers trapped in these exploitive conditions lack social protections and employment related benefits, and they are twice as likely as workers with regular employment to live in poverty.  Women are disproportionately the labourers of the informal economy and the economic and social justice they deserve requires the removal of the barriers to decent and formal work.

On February 21 – World Day of Social Justice 2022 – Unifor joins the United Nations and Global Civil society to focus on the injustices of the informal economy, and we call for the implementation of the International Labor Organization’s recommendation on Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy (ILO Recommendation 204).

In its call to action on Social Justice Day, the United Nations underscored that the social problems of the informal economy are accentuated by disasters and in particular have been worsened by the COVID 19 pandemic.

Informal work is a global problem, including in the developed world where globalization and unbridled capitalism is resulting in new forms of informal work and non-standard work.  While Canada is on record voting to support ILO Recommendation 204, little has been done to address these issues in the face of rising precariousness and inequality in Canada. Recent studies have shown that a quarter or more of all jobs in Canada are “non-standard” and 8% of workers are employed in the so-called digital gig economy.  Canadian governments have failed these workers who deserve recognition and the protection of labour law, including a free and fair pathway to unionization.

Unifor salutes the global organizers and advocates for the dignity of work who struggle against the super exploitation of the informal economy.  Through the work of the Unifor Social Justice Fund (SJF) and worker-to-worker solidarity, we recommit to achieving decent work for all. In Canada, Unifor will expand its efforts to support and organize precarious workers, casual and gig workers who are excluded from the social protections they deserve.

Since 1990, the SJF has supported more than 1,100 projects in Canada and 46 other countries.

Through the fund, Unifor supports strong human rights – standing in solidarity with people in countries where political repression weakens worker’s voices and threatens their human rights.

Along with many global unions such as IndustriALL, International Transport Workers Federation and UNI Global Union, Unifor supports work to establish and reinforce labour and gender rights – including the right to form independent labour unions, the right to work safely and the creation of decent working conditions in Countries such as Mexico, Colombia and Bangladesh.

The SJF also builds partnerships to provide support and work in solidarity with many respected organizations in Canada and around the world.

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Black History Month 2022 statement

 

For Unifor, Black History Month isn’t an event we only acknowledge in February.

This year, Canada recognizes Black History Month as February and Forever: Celebrating Black History Today and Every Day.

The Canadian government first recognized Black History Month in December 1995 in the House of Commons, following a motion introduced by the Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine.

Unifor has long been advocating that it is vital to acknowledge and recognize Black members everyday.

As a union, we featured Black members from locals for the past few years and allowed the different regions to see the remarkable leadership within our union.

We are committed to more than statements and more than a month of solidarity. We know that Black Canadians have made tremendous contributions and possess the skills, talents, intelligence, innovation and determination to have meaningful impacts within Unifor, across Canada and throughout the world.

It is our daily choices and actions that matter.

This month, we ask our local unions and workplace union representatives to celebrate Black Unifor members and safely support community events.

We also ask them to recognize Black Unifor members, not only in February, but each day of the year, in order to combat anti-Black racism and to continue to remove barriers in institutions that prevent Black members from fully participating.

We need to ensure physical and emotional health for all Black Canadians and continue to celebrate, appreciate and acknowledge Black communities across the country.