Pay Phones at Nitinat
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mortontoemike
- Posts: 513
- Joined: Sun May 02, 2004 3:08 pm
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Pay Phones at Nitinat
Roger Dee is unhappy about the missing pay phones at Nitinat Village and have drafted the following letter to the CRTC (http://www.crtc.gc.ca/RapidsCCM/Register.asp?lang=E) to encourage them to pressure Telus to replace them. Thanks for this Roger. I certainly missed the phones on my last visit.
Perhaps if we all offer such encouragement.
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Re: Dididaht Village Pay Phones at the Lakeside Market. The north-eastern portion of Nitinat Lake near the west coast of Vancouver Island is a very remote “mecca” of sorts for windsurfers and kiteboarders in BC. The First Nations village of Dididaht is the closest settlement. It is located 50 km west of Youbou. The area is accessible only by gravel road. There is no cellular phone service in the area. This area of Nitinat Lake attracts windsurfers and kiteboarders from all over Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. It is also very popular with sport fisherman in Fall. In addition, it is an important mid-way transit point for hikers on Vancouver Island’s internationally renowned “West Coast Trail”. Most visitors camp in the Forest Service Campsite one kilometre from Dididaht Village. Between 200 to 300 visitors use the campsite every weekend from the late Spring to early Fall. Until last Fall, there were two pay phones at the Lakeside Market and Gas Station in the Dididaht Village. Unfortunately, both the pay phones were reportedly stolen during last year’s Telus strike and apparently are not going to be replaced. This is despite repeated requests to Telus from local villagers, many of whom also rely on these pay phones. So at present there is no way for campers and others visiting the area to contact their families. The nearest public phone is in Youbou, a two hour return trip over a gravel road. I am an avid windsurfer and used to phone home to get the news on my children and keep in touch with my elderly parents. Clearly, these pay phones are of critical importance to the users of this very special area of BC. We are very disappointed that Telus fails to see the essential need for these two pay phones to ensure that hikers, campers, fishermen, windsurfers and kiteboarders are able to keep in regular contact with their families. Moreover, payphones in this remote location are an issue of public safety in the event of an accident or injury in this location, as cellphone service isn't available. Is there anything the CRTC can do to encourage Telus to provide an essential service like this as a matter of public safety?
Perhaps if we all offer such encouragement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Re: Dididaht Village Pay Phones at the Lakeside Market. The north-eastern portion of Nitinat Lake near the west coast of Vancouver Island is a very remote “mecca” of sorts for windsurfers and kiteboarders in BC. The First Nations village of Dididaht is the closest settlement. It is located 50 km west of Youbou. The area is accessible only by gravel road. There is no cellular phone service in the area. This area of Nitinat Lake attracts windsurfers and kiteboarders from all over Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. It is also very popular with sport fisherman in Fall. In addition, it is an important mid-way transit point for hikers on Vancouver Island’s internationally renowned “West Coast Trail”. Most visitors camp in the Forest Service Campsite one kilometre from Dididaht Village. Between 200 to 300 visitors use the campsite every weekend from the late Spring to early Fall. Until last Fall, there were two pay phones at the Lakeside Market and Gas Station in the Dididaht Village. Unfortunately, both the pay phones were reportedly stolen during last year’s Telus strike and apparently are not going to be replaced. This is despite repeated requests to Telus from local villagers, many of whom also rely on these pay phones. So at present there is no way for campers and others visiting the area to contact their families. The nearest public phone is in Youbou, a two hour return trip over a gravel road. I am an avid windsurfer and used to phone home to get the news on my children and keep in touch with my elderly parents. Clearly, these pay phones are of critical importance to the users of this very special area of BC. We are very disappointed that Telus fails to see the essential need for these two pay phones to ensure that hikers, campers, fishermen, windsurfers and kiteboarders are able to keep in regular contact with their families. Moreover, payphones in this remote location are an issue of public safety in the event of an accident or injury in this location, as cellphone service isn't available. Is there anything the CRTC can do to encourage Telus to provide an essential service like this as a matter of public safety?
I wish my TOW was longer!
