Status of VRS relay service in Canada

jwillisbarrie · 06-04-2007, 08:29 PM

Okay, there are lots of other things to share with you, but I know you are all impatient to find out "what's up with VRS?!?!" Yes, Sign Relay Canada - Service de Relais Canada (SRC), the corporation set up by CAD and CCSD to manage VRS, has been very active in the fight to set-up VRS in Canada. The FIRST issue is simple: who pays for it? Everyone agrees the phone companies must pay for it. The SECOND issue is very complicated: who runs it? The Deaf community of Canada and the interpreters of Canada all agree there should be a single national VRS run by Deaf Canadians. But the phone companies don't agree. It's their money, and they want to spend it on themselves. Bell Canada wants to set up a two-province VRS (Quebec and Ontario). Telus wants to set up a two-province VRS (Alberta and BC). Too bad if you live in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, NWT, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, or Newfoundland/Labrador, eh?

So, the argument between SRC and the phone companies is being considered by the CRTC. The CRTC has the power to decide who gets to set-up VRS, and where, and how it will be funded. Unfortunately, the CRTC moves like a turtle stuck in a tar-pit with four broken legs and an obesity problem. I'm going to cut a very long story short here, and simply say that the CRTC has announced it will hear the arguments from January to June of 2007, and then it will make its decision sometime between July and December. If SRC wins, we will have the national VRS up and running within weeks of the CRTC's decision. If Bell and Telus win, then you will probably have to wait until 2008 to see any kind of VRS in this country.

NOTE: The CRTC public notice number is 2006-15

» News & » Canadian Association of the Deaf

tigrlily · 06-05-2007, 08:37 AM

Thanks very much for the information / merci bien pour l'information!

06-04-2007, 08:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
jwillisbarrie Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Barrie Posts: 34	Status of VRS relay service in Canada Okay, there are lots of other things to share with you, but I know you are all impatient to find out "what's up with VRS?!?!" Yes, Sign Relay Canada - Service de Relais Canada (SRC), the corporation set up by CAD and CCSD to manage VRS, has been very active in the fight to set-up VRS in Canada. The FIRST issue is simple: who pays for it? Everyone agrees the phone companies must pay for it. The SECOND issue is very complicated: who runs it? The Deaf community of Canada and the interpreters of Canada all agree there should be a single national VRS run by Deaf Canadians. But the phone companies don't agree. It's their money, and they want to spend it on themselves. Bell Canada wants to set up a two-province VRS (Quebec and Ontario). Telus wants to set up a two-province VRS (Alberta and BC). Too bad if you live in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, NWT, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, or Newfoundland/Labrador, eh? So, the argument between SRC and the phone companies is being considered by the CRTC. The CRTC has the power to decide who gets to set-up VRS, and where, and how it will be funded. Unfortunately, the CRTC moves like a turtle stuck in a tar-pit with four broken legs and an obesity problem. I'm going to cut a very long story short here, and simply say that the CRTC has announced it will hear the arguments from January to June of 2007, and then it will make its decision sometime between July and December. If SRC wins, we will have the national VRS up and running within weeks of the CRTC's decision. If Bell and Telus win, then you will probably have to wait until 2008 to see any kind of VRS in this country. NOTE: The CRTC public notice number is 2006-15 » News & » Canadian Association of the Deaf

06-05-2007, 08:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
tigrlily Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 11	Thanks very much for the information / merci bien pour l'information! __________________ Amy Hasbrouck Oralys, Inc. 1222 rue St-Hubert Montréal, Québec H2L 3Y7 www.oralys.ca

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