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Telus delivers New Year gut punch to Canadian businesses, communities

BURNABY, British Columbia, Jan. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian economy has received a New Year’s gut punch from telecommunications giant Telus, with the company announcing another round of voluntary severance packages (VSPs) as part of a decade-long decimation of its Canadian workforce. Telus, which has eliminated thousands of jobs across Canada over the last several years, has offered nearly 700 more VSPs to its Canadian workers, including to more than 500 members of the United Steel

articleTelus CorporationJanuary 9, 20262/company/telus-corp/news/telus-delivers-gut-punch-canadian-161600618
Telus delivers New Year gut punch to Canadian businesses, communities

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Michael PhillipsTelusUnited Steelworkers unionCanadian workerstelecommunications companiesCanadaBURNABY, British Columbia