2017-08-07 Further concentration in the Communications industry – your can stop it.

Please help stop more corporate takeover; Politicians who sell us out. 

Christy Clark lost her position as Premier of B.C., in large part due to her servicing of corporate interests, and the money flowing into the B.C. Liberal Party because of that.  People from across Canada helped with the campaign to create awareness of the corruption of democracy in B.C..  And won.  The unseating of the Clark government sent a message across Canada.   By signing the petition to stop yet another servicing of corporate interests by a Provincial Government,  this time in Saskatchewan,  we grow our strength another notch.

Canadians will pitch in (the petition), but people in Saskatchewan should be phoning their MLAs.  If they don’t,  they should not complain when the Government proceeds with the privatization, and their communications (phone, internet) bills start going up, to the levels in B.C. and other regions of Canada.

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The direct cost to the people of Saskatchewan, if the privatization of Sasktel (a crown corporation) goes ahead, will be huge.   What the people have built over the decades will be sold at a fraction of its value;  and people will be paying the rates charged in other provinces.  (I just did some comparisons because of phone service for a family member.)

The CCPA graphs make it clear, and show  it will be bad for the rest of Canada, too – – the private carriers will have a stranglehold on the whole country.  Worth taking a look.  With thanks to Simon Enoch:

CCPA  – Behind the numbers  http://behindthenumbers.ca/2017/02/09/brad-wall-sasktel-terrible-horrible-no-good-bad-idea/#.WXU1AsWSv_E.facebook  ]

Saskatchewan MP Erin Weir started a petition to ensure the privatization doesn’t proceed.  I signed it.  As I see it, we need to do WHATEVER we can, to stop further concentration of power and wealth and especially when it’s the communications sector in a democracy that will take another direct hit.

My reply to a friend (next) shows my cost for service in B.C. (where what used to be public service is now privatized), compared with Sasktel (communications are considered to be a service, like schools and roads, that citizens joined hands, decades ago to provide, through their government).

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On Sat, 5 Aug 2017, Sandra Finley wrote:

RE:  Subject: Should we start calling Brad Wall a liar?  (looks like Privatization of Sasktel in the works?)

We should start calling Premier Brad Wall an employee of Large Corporations.

My daughter has been on her father’s Sasktel family package for cell phone coverage.

While in Sask I purchased cell phone coverage on a Sasktel plan.

And I still have and use my Sasktel email account.

Both are superior (in cost and service) to anything I can get in B.C. where there isn’t a crown corporation for communications service for citizens.

Saskatchewanians should wake up.  Look at the costs:

• Cell phone coverage in B.C. is usually through Telus.   I don’t think there’s much competition, except through outfits like Virgin Mobile.   Virgin has franchisees.  I tried them last year.  It was not good – – they don’t have the depth in resources to work out problems, even when they are THEIR technical problems.   And you have little recourse to corrective action.  Shaw, the other internet provider, does not offer cell phone service.
• The rates at Telus in B.C. are easily DOUBLE the costs of Sasktel’s service, as far as I can determine from the Telus website.  (NEW:  the CCPA analysis received since I had Telus under consideration, supports my conclusion.)
• Premier Wall will hose the citizens of Sask.   But he’ll come out just fine, thank-you.  (Follow the money, honey, if you want to make sense of that which doesn’t make sense  (selling off Sasktel).)  The pay-offs to Officials when they are no longer in power, are magnificent.   Wall will be rewarded by Cameco, by the Oil & Gas industry,  by whoever buys Sasktel if that sale goes through, and by American interests.   Seats on corporate Boards of Directors provide lucrative retirement income, if you’ve been nice to them while you were in power.
• If you compare the Shaw product listings for Internet  (“bundles” for example) and their billing,  the Sasktel bills spell out what you are paying for, and it all adds up.   Shaw product info and billing are designed to confuse,  and they are always changing things.  You can’t just sign up for what you want and rely on that.  For example, you are often signing up for something that is good for 6 months or a year,  and then the rate automatically increases, with no notice.   You have to phone them.   And be savvy:  if you know how to play your cards,  when you start suggesting that you want to check out what you can get elsewhere, the front-line personnel hand you over to their “loyalty team”.
• In this way, I recently had my current bill cut by one-third (from $146 to $95).  And on an on-going basis, at least until their next automatic increase,  I will pay more than $35 less per month than I was  ($110 vs $146).  I would not have gotten those rates, if I had not learned from the same experience last year.  You can’t trust them, and if you don’t know about the “loyalty team” and how it operates, the front-line responders to your questions, do not tell you that the rate is actually flexible – – by a lot!  They just sound sympathetic, and then repeat the current rate.
• They try to document your call as a complaint about the August 1^st  rate increase sanctioned for the mobile phone industry by the CRTC.  I had to repeat my instruction NOT to record my complaint as such, because that was not what it was.  I knew nothing about that increase ($7).  I called because I wanted to understand my current bill  (which, as I mentioned, was ultimately cut by one-third by the “Loyalty Team”  – – all I did was to be nice and keep asking questions about my bill that made no sense).  But you see – – they will report all these complaints as being the fault of the CRTC, nothing to do with them.
• Another factor:  You have to have THE TIME to stay on the line, and not hang up in frustration when put on hold  (I just work on something else while I’m waiting).  Working parents, for example – – do they have the time and the assertiveness, AND the information to KNOW that you can get a better rate?   As usual,  those who cannot afford the higher rates are the ones who are paying them.
• I don’t get it why people don’t talk to their neighbours, spread the word, organize, and get into the streets if necessary, or just sign the petition – – they aren’t going to stop another fiasco (the privatization of Sasktel) if they don’t.   It’s almost as though they LIKE to be victims?  . . .  The price of  de-boned chicken is very high, in comparison to chicken with the bone in!

 

I hope that Premier Wall and his colleagues are outed and stopped.  Wall worked for the Grant Devine Govt  (the most corrupt in the history of the Province;  some of them went to jail.)  They are the ones who ended the dental programme for children through the schools – – they completely dismantled it, sold off all the equipment that had been bought (by the citizens) and installed in the schools.  They should never have gotten away with doing that – – they were not re-elected, but that doesn’t matter:  once gone,  citizens do not get it back.   And note that the cost of dental service continues to escalate because of insurance.   I really don’t know how families who don’t have dental insurance plans can afford dental care for themselves and their children.  A healthy mouth contributes enormously to a healthy body, and the reduction of medicare costs.

On that cheery note,

I hope you are doing well!

Sandra

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Sent: August 4, 2017 3:31 PM
Subject: FYI: Should we start calling Brad Wall a liar?

Should we start calling Brad Wall a liar?

[  https://www.unifor.org/en/whats-new/news/should-we-start-calling-brad-wall-a-liar  ]

July 18, 2017

Regina—The steady flow of rumours about privatizing Saskatchewan’s beloved Crown corporations is making it increasingly difficult to conclude that Brad Wall was truthful during the 2016 election, says Unifor.

“Brad Wall misled voters,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “If the Sask Party wants to dismantle public services and sell off Crown corporations that took generations to build, they should have the decency to run an election on the issue.”

On April 26, 2016 the Sask Party promised the CBC in writing [  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/ndp-broten-crowncorporations-sale-saskatchewan-election-2016-1.3492114 ]  that no Crown corporations covered under The Crown Corporations Act would be privatized, but later amended that legislation with Bill 40 [  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-party-passes-bill-to-sell-off-crowns-1.4087682  ] to enable unprecedented privatization. This week Minister Dustin Duncan confirmed that backroom talks are underway to privatize Sasktel.  [  http://regina.ctvnews.ca/preliminary-discussions-held-on-partial-sale-of-sasktel-duncan-1.3508201  ]

“Brad Wall has no mandate to sell off public assets that generate millions in dividends for the people of Saskatchewan,” said Joie Warnock, Unifor Western Regional Director. “Selling-off Crown corporations would be a disaster for the long-term health of hospital and school funding.”

Among other sectors, Unifor represents thousands of Crown corporation workers at SaskTel, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, and SaskWater.

For more information, please contact Unifor Communications Representative Ian Boyko at ian.boyko@unifor.org or 778-903-6549 (cell).

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‘Really bothered about this’: Potential sale of gov’t-run low-income housing units raises concern  –  August 3, 2017

[  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-social-housing-corporation-1.4233185 ]

Sask. budget hikes sales tax to 6%, kills provincial bus company  –  March 22, 2017

[  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-finance-budget-day-1.4035092  ]