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At an appearance before the federal industry committee Monday afternoon, after being grilled on pricing practices, Rogers Communications Inc.’s RCI-B-T chief executive officer was asked how many employees were no longer working for the company as a result of its 2023 acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc. Tony Staffieri declined to provide an exact figure to members of Parliament, saying that since the merger, the company had created 1,800 jobs in Western Canada. That was part of Rogers’s commitments to Ottawa in exchange for its approval of the deal. However, company figures suggest that more than 3,000 Rogers or former Shaw employees had their jobs cut or left the company in the year the merger took place. That’s based on the number of Shaw employees reported on its company website, the number transferred to Quebecor Inc. QBR-B-T as part of Shaw’s sale of Freedom Mobile, and the number of active employees disclosed by Rogers in annual reports before and after the merger took place. A Rogers spokesperson did not comment on the specific number of jobs lost as part of the merger. “Overall, we reduced our work force by a small percentage, including through a voluntary departure program,” said Rogers spokesperson Zac Carreiro in an e-mail. He noted that “in any given year, some employees decide to leave the company for other opportunities, and some retire. We also hire staff, and that’s been no exception since coming together with Shaw. “We remain committed to creating thousands of jobs over the next few years as we accelerate our growth and invest in our networks and communities,” he added. It’s not unusual for merging companies in the same sector to cut some jobs, as they look to reduce expenses by finding efficiencies between duplicated roles. Last year, The Globe and Mail reported that roughly 1,200 Rogers employees had left the company as part of a voluntary staff-departure program. But Rogers has never disclosed the total number of employees affected by the merger. Rogers and Shaw first announced their intention to merge in March of 2021. That December, the “About Shaw” page of Shaw’s corporate website was updated to note that the company had 9,000 employees, according to a record of the website. This number remained on the company’s website until after the acquisition’s close in 2023. The number was still there after the page was rebranded with the Rogers logo, until the page was taken down in July and the URL redirected to Rogers’s website. Rogers lists its total number of active employees at the end of each year in its annual report. Before the merger closed, as of Dec. 31, 2022, Rogers listed 22,000 employees. The following year, after the merger had closed on April 3, 2023, the company said it had 26,000 employees. In order to ensure competition in the industry, the federal government required Shaw to divest itself of its Freedom Mobile business, considered Canada’s fourth largest wireless provider. Quebecor acquired the company, closing the deal on the same day in April, 2023. Quebecor listed in that year’s annual information form that, as of Dec. 31, 2023, it had 1,602 employees working under its Freedom Mobile brand. The number of Rogers and Shaw employees combined, offset by the Freedom employees that went to Quebecor, suggests a total of about 3,400 net jobs lost. In order to secure federal approval, Rogers also signed a number of commitments spanning network investment, pricing commitments, programs for low-income Canadians and job creation. On the latter point, the company agreed to create 3,000 jobs in Western Canada within five years, and maintain them for 10 years. In its first of 10 mandatory annual disclosures, which it made in April, Rogers said it had created 812 jobs in Western Canada in 12 months following the deal’s close, including the repatriation of approximately 300 Shaw customer-service jobs back to Canada. It said it also hired 1,100 technology contractors as well as other skilled contractors, to support its merger commitments. The company was not required to disclose net job changes resulting from the deal. In its report, Rogers said it had either already completed its other commitments to the government, or had made progress toward them. The company reported that it spent $400-million of its committed $2.5-billion on 5G networks in Western Canada, and $1-billion of the committed $3-billion on additional network, services and technology investments, including in the expansion of its cable network. The company said it was upholding its commitments to maintain a headquarters in Calgary and maintain existing Shaw Mobile wireless plans for five years after the closing date. With a report from Alexandra Posadzki

Farmer leader of Kisan Mazdoor Sanghrash Committee-Punjab, Sharvan Singh Pandher, said on Thursday that 'Punjab Bandh' call for December 30 has gaining support from various groups ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for "Punjab bandh will be observed on 30th December from 7 am to 4 pm. We have received support from many unions and groups. Both Punjab govt and private offices will remain closed on this day. Rail movement and road traffic will also be closed on 30th December," Pandher said addressing a press conference at Khannur border. The protest organised by the farmers of Punjab at the Khanauri border in Sangrur district, near the Haryana border, entered its 318th day. They have been protesting since February 13, 2024, to press on their various demands including a law to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP). "We request the people of Punjab to complete any travel or essential work as the state will observe a complete bandh tomorrow from 7 AM to 4 PM. However, medical services will remain operational," says farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher. 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While the PRTC bus services will be shut for four hours, from 10 AM to 2 PM, following the announcement by the PRTC Punbus Employee Union to support the ongoing farmer agitation, the private bus operators have announced their full support, thus declaring the suspension of services across the state from 7 AM to 4 PM on Monday. The bandh will involve disruptions to both road and rail traffic, with govt and non-govt institutions remaining closed from 7 am to 4 pm. District-level meetings will be organised on Friday to review the arrangements, reported ToI. However, emergency services will remain operational. Traders, transporters, employees unions, toll plaza workers, labour, ex-servicemen, Sarpanches and teachers' unions, social and other bodies, and some other sections have lent their support to the bandh. This bandh will force the Centre to accept the demands of farmers, the farmer leader said as he slammed the union government for failing to accept the demands of farmers. Farmers under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces. Besides a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hailey Van Lith scored 17 points and Madison Connor made four 3-pointers and added 14 points on Sunday to help No. 11 TCU beat Brown 79-47. Van Lith added five assists, five rebounds and three steals and Taylor Bigby scored 11 points for the Horned Frogs. TCU (13-1) has won four games in a row since an 82-54 loss to No. 3 South Carolina on Dec. 8 at the Coast to Coast Challenge. Grace Arnolie hit three 3-pointers in the first five minutes and Olivia Young added another with 4:34 left in the first quarter to give Brown a 12-8 lead. The Horned Frogs responded with a 9-2 run to close the period, scored 12 of the first 14 second-quarter points to extend their lead to 13 points and took a 34-25 lead into the intermission. Bigby hit a 3 to open the scoring in the third quarter and TCU led by double figures the rest of the way. The Horned Frogs outrebounded Brown 54-28, including 20-6 on the offensive glass which led to TCU outscoring the Bears 27-5 in second-chance points. Isabell Mauricio led Brown with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting Brown (6-7). The rest of the Bears players combined to made 10 of 41 (24.4%) from the field. Arnolie added 13 points. TCU made 11 3-pointers on 27 attempts (41%) and the Horned Frogs' 148 this season are the most in Division I. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” — Matthew 7:24 It has been said that if you want to see how big a building is going to be you need to see how deep they are building the foundation. It is the strength of the foundation that determines if the building can hold up to the pressure. I once read that at one point Chicago was sinking because the buildings did not have deep enough foundations. My friends, too many in the church have an inch-deep foundation. They wildly share bumper sticker theology and call themselves Christians. I don’t know if they are saved or not, but what I do know is that Jesus talked about seeds. Some of those seeds fell on the hard path and just never flourished. Others found shallow, rocky soil and while they sprang up they withered. Those with a t-shirt faith will wither when times get a little tough. They might sound brilliantly holy, but if they have no depth they will not be able to stand up to temptation. Take warning. David was a man after God’s own heart and he gave into temptation. If he can fall, it is certain that we can. The target is to let your seed fall on deep, rich soil. This soil will enable you to weather the storms of this life. So how do you build this foundation? I once knew a young man who read his Bible incessantly. While he was in college he skipped classes, broke contact with all people but he was reading non-stop in his Bible. Now reading your Bible is an important aspect of your foundation building. However, this young man was not growing. We need other people to rub against me so that we can scrape off the rough spots. The first thing that God tells us is not good, was man alone. This young man was alone, he failed out of college and had nobody to support or encourage him when difficult times came. The bottom line, as we build our foundation lets us seek balance. Luke 2:52 tells us that Jesus grew physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. Let us examine what this means physically for this week and we will move on to the others next time. To grow physically we must first assess where we are currently. Are you healthy? Early in my Christian walk pastors would brag about having a pulpit bumper. Do you have a bit of a bumper. You realize that bumper is a prime indication of a future filled with doctor’s visits and poor health. You are more likely to be ill. This is not a good witness. Remember Daniel and his friends. They chose a God honoring diet and it reflected in their appearance. They honored God by their food choices. We must also gauge our sleep. Even in ministry we tend to brag about how busy we are instead of caring for our mind and soul by allowing our body and mind to rest. Choose sleep over too much television or other entertainment. We must also look at our activity level. Are you active? Do you keep moving? Motion is lotion, my friends. The more we move the more we can move. Choose a healthy diet, good sleep and constant motion to grow in good health physically. Rich Schaus is the executive director of Gospel Rescue Mission.

Hyderabad groups host events to deter youth from New Year partiesHOUSTON (AP) — For a second straight season, the Houston Texans will be without Tank Dell to end the regular season and for the playoffs after the dynamic receiver suffered another major injury. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * HOUSTON (AP) — For a second straight season, the Houston Texans will be without Tank Dell to end the regular season and for the playoffs after the dynamic receiver suffered another major injury. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? HOUSTON (AP) — For a second straight season, the Houston Texans will be without Tank Dell to end the regular season and for the playoffs after the dynamic receiver suffered another major injury. Dell sustained what coach DeMeco Ryans called a “significant” knee injury on a 30-yard touchdown catch in Houston’s loss to Kansas City on Saturday. Though the team hasn’t officially ruled him out for the season, it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to return after he was hospitalized overnight following the injury. Ryans said Sunday that Dell had been released from the hospital and was heading back to Houston. He added that he was still being evaluated to see what the next steps would be. This injury comes after Dell fractured his fibula in Week 13 against the Broncos last season and had surgery on it the following day. “It’s tough to see guys get injured, the work that guys put in, how much they put their bodies on the line to play this game,” Ryans said. “It’s deeper than football. We are talking about real people who have real emotions and real feelings who are going through a tough time right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in that situation.” The AFC South champion Texans will have to regroup quickly with a visit from the Ravens coming on Christmas Day. Dell’s injury is another blow to a team that was already missing Stefon Diggs after the four-time Pro Bowl receiver sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 8. Dell ranks second on the team with 51 receptions for 667 yards and three touchdowns behind Nico Collins, who has 909 yards receiving and six scores. Tight end Dalton Schultz has 482 yards receiving and two touchdowns and running back Joe Mixon 291 yards receiving and a touchdown grab. But with Dell and Diggs out, the Texans are thin at receiver. John Metchie, who has just 182 yards receiving this season, could fill in for Diggs this week, but his status is uncertain after he missed Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury. “There is a chance John could be back,” Ryans said. “I think he’s progressing, so we’ll see where he ends up on Wednesday.” Other options at the position are veteran Robert Woods, who has just 143 yards receiving this season, and Xavier Hutchinson, who nine catches. Quarterback C.J. Stroud, one of Dell’s closest friends, was distraught after Dell’s injury and remained upset after the game. He said it will be difficult for the team to bounce back after losing Dell to a serious injury again. “The easy answer is to tell you something to make everybody feel nice, but it’s not the truth right now,” he said after the game. “The truth is that it’s not easy seeing your brother go down like that. (Sunday) we’ll have to get recovery, get ready for Wednesday because it’s another big-time opponent. The Ravens are a great team. It’ll be a playoff atmosphere on Christmas Day.” What’s working Stroud distributed the ball well Saturday, completing passes to six different players. Dell led the way with six receptions for 98 yards and Collins had seven receptions for 60 yards while being double-teamed often. With teams likely to place even more emphasis on stopping Collins with Dell out, Stroud will need to continue to spread the ball around against the Ravens. What needs help The Texans continue to struggle in the red zone and converted just 1 of 3 opportunities Saturday. This comes after they were also 1 of 3 in a win over the Jaguars in Week 13 and converted just 2 of 4 chances in a loss to the Titans in Week 12. “We had our opportunities, and it just comes down to as simple as guys being in the right spot,” Ryans said. “We just have to make the plays. We have to finish and that’s all it comes down to.” Stock up LB Christian Harris had seventh tackles and a sack against the Chiefs in his second game of the season after missing the first 13 with a calf injury. His sack was Houston’s 46th of the season, which ties a franchise record that was set last season. Stock down K Ka’imi Fairbairn missed an extra point Saturday. He’s been excellent from long range this season, making 13 field goals longer than 50 yards. But has struggled on shorter kicks, missing two from less than 30 yards before Saturday’s PAT miss. Injuries S Jimmie Ward injured his foot Saturday and could miss the rest of the season. ... G Shaq Mason injured his knee against the Chiefs and will likely miss Wednesday’s game. Key number Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 10 — Dell’s touchdown Saturday was the 10th of his career, tying Hall of Famer Andre Johnson for most TD catches by a Texans through their first two seasons. Next steps The Texans look for their first win over Baltimore since 2014 after five consecutive wins by the Ravens, including a 34-10 victory in the divisional round of the playoffs last season. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement Advertisement

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was “stupid” not to put his own name on pandemic relief checks in 2021, noting that Donald Trump had done so in 2020 and likely got credit for helping people out through this simple, effective act of branding. Biden did the second-guessing as he delivered a speech at the Brookings Institution defending his economic record and challenging Trump to preserve Democratic policy ideas when he returns to the White House next month. As Biden focused on his legacy with his term ending, he suggested Trump should keep the Democrats' momentum going and ignore the policies of his allies. The president laid out favorable recent economic data but acknowledgedhis rare public regret that he had not been more self-promotional in advertising the financial support provided by his administration as the country emerged from the pandemic. “I signed the American Rescue Plan, the most significant economic recovery package in our history, and also learned something from Donald Trump,” Biden said at the Washington-based think tank. "He signed checks for people for 7,400 bucks ... and I didn't. Stupid." The decision by the former reality TV star and real estate developer to add his name to the checks sent by the U.S. Treasury to millions of Americans struggling during the coronavirus marked the first time a president’s name appeared on any IRS payments. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris , who replaced him as the Democratic nominee , largely failed to convince the American public of the strength of the economy. The addition of 16 million jobs, funding for infrastructure, new factories and investments in renewable energy were not enough to overcome public exhaustion over inflation, which spiked in 2022 and left many households coping with elevated grocery, gasoline and housing costs. More than 6 in 10 voters in November's election described the economy as “poor” or “not so good,” according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. Trump won nearly 7 in 10 of the voters who felt the economy was in bad shape, paving the way for a second term as president after his 2020 loss to Biden. Biden used his speech to argue that Trump was inheriting a strong economy that is the envy of the world. The inflation rate fell without a recession that many economists had viewed as inevitable, while the unemployment rate is a healthy 4.2% and applications to start new businesses are at record levels. Biden called the numbers under his watch “a new set of benchmarks to measure against the next four years.” “President-elect Trump is receiving the strongest economy in modern history,” said Biden, who warned that Trump's planned tax cuts could lead to massive deficits or deep spending cuts. He also said that Trump's promise of broad tariffs on foreign imports would be a mistake, part of a broader push Tuesday by the administration to warn against Trump's threatened action. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also issued a word of caution about them at a summit of The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council. “I think the imposition of broad based tariffs, at least of the type that have been discussed, almost all economists agree this would raise prices on American consumers," she said. Biden was also critical of Trump allies who have pushed Project 2025 , a policy blueprint from the Heritage Foundation that calls for a complete overhaul of the federal government. Trump has disavowed participation in it, though parts were written by his allies and overlap with his stated views on economics, immigration, education policy and civil rights. “I pray to God the president-elect throws away Project 2025,” Biden said. “I think it would be an economic disaster.” ___ Associated Press writer Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report. Josh Boak, The Associated Press