By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Perth County’s Quadro Communications Co-operative Inc. and Gosfield North Communications Co-operative Ltd. out of Essex County will officially amalgamate into one organization at the beginning of 2026.
At recent annual meetings, members of both telecom cooperatives voted overwhelmingly in favour of the amalgamation, which both organizations say represents a significant step forward offering benefits and new opportunities to enhance the services and support available to all their members.
“In looking at the landscape of telecom today, at one time, there used to be … 689 independent (telecoms) in Ontario. Now, across Canada there’s only 22,” said Quadro general manager Darryl Evans. “So, you’re seeing your big players – Bell, Rogers, Telus, Cogeco – but for ourselves as cooperatives, we’re challenged by not having a big bank account. So, with that being said, how can we strengthen ourselves for another 100 years? … We started chatting about this with the other seven telecom cooperatives in Ontario. … We had interest from about four of them … and two of us are seeing the importance of moving forward, which I think is the right thing.”
“We are deeply grateful for the trust and support of our members,” Gosfield North general manager Don Casemore said in a press release. “This is more than a partnership; it’s our commitment to keeping our communities connected. With a stronger foundation, we are ready to face the challenges of a changing industry and continue meeting the evolving needs of our members for years to come.”
In the next few months, Quadro and Gosfield North will work to complete the integration process. During this time, members will receive regular updates via email, on their websites and other communication channels, all while continuing to enjoy the same friendly, reliable service without any interruptions.
Evans said both the Quadro and Gosfield North teams have much more to discuss and work out over the next year before a clear picture of what this amalgamation will look like can take shape.
“There’s no job loss with this,” Evans said. “We’re not looking to right-size. … This is all about the people, the communities, the members, the companies and the employees, of course. … We’re still going to see savings, which is a good thing, but because of our geographical locations … we still need our employees where they are.
“ … An amalgamation is a partnership of equals. … Our true amalgamation date isn’t until Jan. 1, 2026. … We’re going to start having meetings about integration and implementation planning … and then start the activities. Some activities we can start before we’re legally one organization and some you have to wait until after the fact such as finance and a few things. What we want to do is get some quick wins … and we want to have a plan going forward. We knew we weren’t going to do the deep, deep dive until the members supported this.”
Though amalgamation will mean the two telecom cooperatives will be unified under one organizational banner, Evans said local customers can rest assured the Quadro branding and the great customer service and community support that goes with it won’t be disappearing anytime soon.
Evans also noted the new amalgamated organization may consider further amalgamation with some of the other Ontario telecom cooperatives in the future if it makes sense at the time.
Established in 1995, Quadro traces its roots back to the Blanshard Municipal Telephone System, established in 1924 in Perth County. As a full-service telecommunications co-operative, Quadro offers internet, television, phone and cellular services to both residential and business customers.
Gosfield North Communications Co-operative Ltd., established in 1907 in Essex County, was founded by local politicians and community leaders to provide phone services to the municipality. Gosfield North offers internet, IPTV and residential phone services to both residential and business customers.
As cooperatives, both companies are member owned with all customers having the opportunity to become members for a minimal fee. Members actively participate in the governance of the cooperative through the election of the board of directors.
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