'Embarrassing': Yukon premier blasts Bell over service issues

WHITEHORSE, YUKON, CANADA — Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai says Bell should be embarrassed by the terrible cellphone service the territory has been getting over the last several months.

In a letter to Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic, Pillai says Yukoners have experienced frequent dropped calls and poor coverage even while downtown in the capital of Whitehorse.

Pillai says the current level of service provided by Bell, which owns nearly all of the cellphone towers in the territory, has not met the expectations of residents, and the lack of service can be dangerous in emergencies.

The letter, which was forwarded to the media, says in 2024 "it should be embarrassing to telecommunications providers that Yukoners cannot have uninterrupted cellphone calls" in downtown Whitehorse.

In a statement Thursday, the company said it takes "the concerns shared by Premier Pillai and impacted customers seriously."

"We are investigating and working as quickly as possible to resolve these network issues," Bell's statement said. "We will continue to update our government partners and impacted customers. As we complete network upgrades to add 4G and 5G service in the region, customers will have access to improved speeds and reliability."

Pillai says in a public statement that calls keep cutting out and service providers don’t seem able to tell Yukoners why.

The premier says Yukoners have a right to be angry.

"With nearly all of the cellphone towers in the Yukon owned by Bell Canada, they need to answer for the dropped calls, delayed texts and patchy internet connections that Yukoners keep experiencing," Pillai says in the statement.

"In emergency situations, reliable cellphone service can be a matter of life or death and Bell needs to live up to their obligations mandated by the CRTC and do better.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press