Rogers has raised their refund to five days

But will the telecom games change?

RogersHelps @RogersHelps

We have been listening to our customers from across the country who have told us how significant the impacts of the outage were for them.

After initially telling customers to expect a day or two of pro-rated refunds, Rogers now says each one will be credited for five days’ worth of service as a result of the outage that Ottawa wants a detailed explanation about. A class-action lawsuit values the inconvenience at $400. Time will tell about broader implications.

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It’s now becoming more political

Jean Charest @JeanCharest_

Enough with the price gouging and terrible service of Canadian airlines and telecoms. I will dismantle their oligopolies through strong competition laws that will make life affordable for you. jeancharest.ca/competition #cdnpoli #cpcldr

A country waking up to a 1% interest rate hike, while the Liberals try to temper economic anxiety, gives Jean Charest a chance to court Conservative leadership voters from the angle of being the adult in the room. Charest also now has the endorsement of Patrick Brown, who’s given up on trying to re-enter the race.

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Danielle Smith has filed nomination papers to take over from Jason Kenney. The possible next Alberta premier submitted 4,800 supporter signatures along with her $175,000 fee to be considered next leader of the United Conservative Party. Smith’s media history also means being able to find evidence of her being anti-anti-smoking in a Calgary Herald column.

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An icier sort of Rogers saga

The cancellation of Hometown Hockey after eight years of being part of the 12-year deal between Rogers and the NHL led to speculation about Ron MacLean, although he’ll be continuing with Hockey Night in Canada. But amidst speculation of cutbacks to come, Tara Slone hints that she’ll be pursuing her sports media passion somewhere else:

Tara Slone @TaraSlone

It’s been over a week since the news came out, and I can now confirm that I am no longer with Sportsnet, having parted ways on good terms.  I wanted to share some thoughts on my time with Hometown Hockey:

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The curtain falls hard on Garth Drabinsky’s musical comeback on Broadway. Paradise Square‘s producer explained its sudden closure as being due to a lack of tickets sold despite 10 Tony nominations and one win. But the Toronto theatre impresario gained few fans among unpaid union members who are suing.

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Finally, a goodbye from Chicago

Neil Donell was a Toronto session singer performing with the Chicago tribute band Brass Transit when the originating group required his services four years ago, to handle vocal parts abandoned by Peter Cetera. Now he’s on a new album that doesn’t have a Roman numeral title, with a music video that nods to the mortality of a 55-year-old act: