From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,
This report is a quick one, providing you more time to enjoy the glorious June weather.
Tag Archives: TELUS
Area C Director’s Report: news from SRD’s April Board meeting
From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,
Sun and showers for a cascade of May flowers! This Director’s Report is rather brief, an update which shares news from the April 23 Board meeting.
Mascon By Telus Cuts Off Some Cortes Customers, CityWest Update
Mascon by TELUS informed at least 10 Cortes Island residents that their internet service will be terminated on June 2, 2025.
A dozen people were chatting about it on the Cortes Island Is Home Facebook page, where one typed a message to Regional Director Mark Vonesch, “The SRD was part of the whole CityWest to insure all communities were connected? Most of us do not have access to CityWest yet and now we are losing access to our only other option.”
Nancy Kendel posted a comment on the Tideline, “A LOT OF GOVERNMENT MONEY was given to the Connected Coast Partnership of CityWest and the Strathcona Regional District, but THE JOB IS NOT FINISHED! When will Cortes Island be connected?”
She also emailed Cortes Currents, which is what led to this story.
Continue reading Mascon By Telus Cuts Off Some Cortes Customers, CityWest Update
Cortes Island Residents Waiting for CityWest To Connect Them
CityWest started hooking Cortes Island residents up to the internet in December 2023, but many homes are still waiting. As the evidence is anecdotal, it is difficult to say how many people are currently connected through CityWest and how many are not.
Sherman Barker just informed me that he has never met anyone who is connected. After waiting for two years of waiting, he was using Starlink by the time a CityWest crew showed up to do the final hook-up.
“I have a pile of CityWest cable, all the way from my driveway to my yard, that they don’t want back.”
Sean Coyote, a techie who works for Cortes Community Radio, said typically people who have yet to be serviced are told their names are on a list. Some, like Sherman, subsequently moved on to other internet providers. Sean added that there are a couple of CityWest trucks working on the island right now.
Continue reading Cortes Island Residents Waiting for CityWest To Connect Them
When TELUS Withdraws Pay Phone Service From Remote Communities
The cell phone reception in Village Bay Lake is sketchy. Up until this summer, the little Quadra Island community’s only reliable telephone access was a pay phone in the Village Bay Lake parking area. Then TELUS removed it.
When Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney raised this issue at the recent SRD Board meeting, it turned out she was not the only Director dealing with the problems resulting from TELUS withdrawing pay phones.
Continue reading When TELUS Withdraws Pay Phone Service From Remote Communities