Calgary-based Shaw Communications reported their Q2 results on Friday and stated “We are advancing our strategy to offer a competitive wireless offering and are now planning for an initial launch in late 2011”. Good news as this means more competition in Canada.
During the conference call apparently Shaw President Peter Bissonnette & CEO Jim Shaw were talking about new entrant Wind Mobile’s poor Calgary network coverage and Bissonnette said “Is the wind blowing in here… Or is that a camel?… Oh, it’s a camel.”
It’s well known that Egyptian-based Orascom Telecom heavily funded Globalive’s Wind Mobile to enter the wireless market. However, the camel reference was uncalled for and Globalive chairman & CEO Anthony Lacavera said “It’s a racial slur joking about Egyptians” and demanded an apology.
Bissonnette said “Frankly, there was no intention to be in any way racist at all. It could have been a coyote, it could have been any kind of animal. If they took that in any other way than in a light hearted jest, I apologize for that. It wasn’t intended to be in any way mean spirited or anything.”
Via: CP
