Rebranding Canada -- the Inukshuk? -- CRTC & VOIP

Does this include replacing the Canadian flag with the Inukshuk which has been chosen to replace the flag for the 2010 Olympics in BC? I wondered what was wrong with the Canadian flag -- source of pork and corruption (Flying the flag in Quebec -- Liberals's ADSCAM -- ex-Min. Sheila Copps' department buying flags -- perhaps to flutter above the corruption, the television ads -- et cetera).

It will take more than re-branding. What Liberal ad executives win with this project?

Canada the brand is getting an extreme makeover CTV.ca News Staff

Spurred by market research that the number of travellers coming to Canada is on the decline, the Canadian Tourism Commission no longer believes that promises of "Mounties, mountains and moose" are enough.

So, the commission is embarking on a massive makeover of the national brand.
Instead of picturesque images of vast prairies, dramatic coastlines or majestic mountains, potential travellers will soon be seeing advertising that promises "experiences" and "adventures" in a welcoming, culturally-diverse country.

Ah, yes, in preparation for the Olympics. Check the company / companies involved, the cynic in me says.





CRTC will regulate phone calls over the Internet

CRTC will regulate phone calls over the Internet David Akin / CTV.ca News Staff

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has ruled it will treat increasingly popular phone services over the Internet in the same way as traditional local telephone service.

That means that the country's two dominant phone companies, BCE and Telus, won't be able to stifle competition by pricing services below cost.

[. . . . ] Analysts say Bell, Telus, and the other established phone giants stand to lose 20 per cent of their local phone revenues as the cable companies move aggressively onto their century-old turf.

But some smaller players already active in the market -- companies like Primus and Vonage -- are worried Bell and Telus will use their market clout unfairly.

And the CRTC is worried about that, too. The regulatory body says it will restrict the prices

Bell, Telus and some other big players can charge. [. . . . ]

Why do I suspect that, with government / CRTC involvement, it is the ordinary citizen who will lose, in the end?

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