Destruction Bay motel owner says poor phone, internet service is costing her business

A motel owner in Destruction Bay, Yukon, has launched a petition demanding Northwestel make improvements to the area's land line, cell phone and internet services.

Suzanne Tremblay, who owns the Talbot Arm Motel in Destruction Bay, said service interruptions are affecting her business.

"When the internet is down, it affects my lottery terminal, my debit machine can't collect with fleet cards for government vehicles and of course running a business without internet — we all know what that does."

She also says her landline is patchy.

"You call my house and it rings at my neighbour's place," she said. 

​Tremblay said other people in Destruction Bay and Burwash Landing are having similar problems. 

Marsha Flumerfelt, another resident in Destruction Bay, which has a population of 35, says her phone line recently went dead in the middle of an emergency call.

So far 33 people have signed the petition, which calls on the company to fix "the chronic underinvestment in our regional telecommunications infrastructure." 

In an emailed statement, a Northwestel spokesperson said technicians were travelling to the community Monday "with the goal of resolving customer issues as quickly as possible."