Rogers Communications Inc. today announced an investment of $109 million in the province of New Brunswick which covers an expansion of the Rogers Moncton Customer Care Centre and the addition of 244 new jobs. It also includes an extension of the Rogers Wireless network and an upgrade of the Cable network.

The Rogers Moncton Customer Care Centre, which opened in September of 2002, is a bilingual facility that currently employs more than 800 New Brunswickers and supports Rogers Cable, high speed Internet and Wireless customers across Canada. The centre will be expanded by 15,000 square feet and the new jobs will result in more than 1,000 people working there.

As well as the expansion of the Rogers Moncton Customer Care Centre, Rogers will expand its Wireless network in the Province by over 50%. This includes increasing existing coverage in all major urban areas and connecting highways while adding coverage in several areas of New Brunswick, including Campbellton and the Acadian Peninsula. The Campbellton region, Acadian Peninsula and the Western side of the province will also benefit from a significant cable network rebuild, which is now underway.

The $$ for some of this is coming from the gov't

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2007/05/31/nb-rogersloan.html

This is a goodnews story. I just didn't realise how much $$ and people it was going take to bring the corner box to NB.

:)

The government is loaning (giving?) them $1.3 million which isn't that much relative to the benefits

Yeah - its a 1.3$ million forgivable loan - which is a good deal, at least Rogers is here to stay unlike so many other recipients of forgivable loans - the "donation" guaranteed jobs to the area and gets those cable network upgrades that we sorely need.

Well thats good news for me, I live within the limits of the City of Campbellton, and I don't have access to high speed, and Aliant has no plans of extending it to here. From what I understand after the expansion is complete, Rogers will be offering high speed in Campbellton, and since I live less than 1km from Rogers site, its going to go right by me :D, and when that day comes, I'll drop Aliant so fast, they will think I was never a customer.

Yah, $1.3m in provincial "loans" for new hire training with a corresponding $190.0 million of additional infrastructure investment and 244 additional permanent jobs ... Rogers was not bribed, it expanded for solid business reasons. If anything, the province "found" money in ongoing existing programs which it could "tag" to this announcement to sound good.

Bottom line: according to the announcement, Rogers will be employing around 1000 folks locally, upgrading its infrastructure, improving the cell network, extending internet and TV service in outlying areas to "urban" service levels ... all on its own dime in anticipation of earning the loyalty and ongoing business of NBers by providing competitive, and superior, services relative to the competition.

This sounds like win-win for everyone -- including current Aliant customers who have a right to demand more, or switch. ;)

I saw the news article on CBC first and just about blew a gasket!!!

There is hope after all and a TON of it!!!

I just hope they put up a cell tower that covers out towards Kilarney Lake a bit better as I am on the northeast face of McLeod Hill and am almost in cell hell even though the city limits are near litterally in my back yard.