Yukon pens letters to minister, CRTC and Bell Canada over poor cellular service

WHITEHORSE — The Yukon government says cellular service in the territory continues to have persistent “deficiencies,” with negative implications for public safety, emergency response and economic activity.

The territory’s government sent letters to Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic, CRTC chair Vicky Eatrides, and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly last week outlining long-standing concerns about “coverage gaps and service instability” in Yukon.

The letter to Bibic says mobile services in the territory are not “discretionary,” but rather “essential public infrastructure” due to Yukon’s climate and geography, where unstable cell service heightens risks compared to more populated areas.

The letter to Eatrides says the regulator should consider using “regulatory levers” and other tools to improve services in the territory, where remote areas have been marginalized in the context of “national network strategies.”