ndallen@contact.uucp (Nigel Allen) (09/07/90)
The September 6 provincial election in Ontario brought the New Democratic Party (NDP) to power, and some TELECOM Digest readers may wonder what this means for telecommunications. In brief, not much. Premier-designate Bob Rae has not yet announced his cabinet, and I suspect that the new culture and communications minister will have a background in the arts or broadcasting rather than in telecommunications. Many of the newly elected NDP members are extremely bright, but relatively few of them have much of a background in business. While most telecommunications activity in Ontario (including Bell Canada and Unitel Communications Inc., as well as broadcasting and cable) falls under federal jurisdiction, the Ontario government has three areas of telecommunications involvement. First, it is a large customer of telecommunications services, through the Computer and Telecommunications Services division of the Ministry of Government Services. A change in government is not likely to make much difference to this operation. More significant whether the new government will continue to decentralize government offices to cities outside Toronto, where unemployment levels are higher and housing costs are lower. Decentralization means higher government phone bills, as bureaucrats in Thunder Bay have to talk to those left in Toronto, and as toll-free telephone service may have to be provided to allow the general public to reach the relocated offices. Second, the Communications Division of the Ministry of Culture and Communications "is responsible for providing policy, operational and technical advice on issues affecting Ontario consumers, suppliers and manufacturers of telecommunications and broadcasting and cable systems and services. Activities include policy development, representations/ interventions before the federal government and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, research, technology assessments, and industry and federal- provincial liaison on communications matters." (quoted from an Ontario government publication) The advocacy role of the Communications Division is probably the most important one for TELECOM Digest readers. I do not think that an NDP government will support long distance competition; the former Liberal government might have. I don't expect that any senior officials will be fired by the new government, though. Third, the Ontario Telephone Service Commission regulates all Ontario telephone companies other than Bell Canada. The OTSC is not a particularly glamorous part of the Ontario bureaucracy, but perhaps the new government will appoint new commissioners to the OTSC, and that may make the commission more likely to support the consumer viewpoint. The address of the Communications Division, in case anyone wishes to contact it, is: Communications Division Ministry of Culture and Communications 77 Bloor Street West, 6th Floor Toronto, Ontario M7A 2R9 Canada Telephone (416) 326-9600 Fax (416) 326-9654 If you are interested in the Ontario communications industry, you may want to request a list of the Communications Division's publications and a free subscription to the division's newsletter. Disclaimer: I don't work for the Ontario government. Nigel Allen ndallen@contact.uucp 52 Manchester Avenue telephone (416) 535-8916 Toronto, Ontario M6G 1V3 fax (416) 978-7552 Canada