>Jim,
>
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>>I wonder what the chances are that the pay phone 'owners' are actually subsidiaries of the phone company??
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>I'm sure in some cases the pay phones are owned straight up by phone companies, without hiding behind a smaller company. But, often times they are not at all. I had a customer was in the pay phone business. Further, I had customers (restaurants, for example) that had pay phones; the pay phones were owned by obviously small operations. I'm also aware of a large movie theatre chain that owns their own payphones...they consider it a profit center (albeit a small one) and they found it more effective to manage them themselves instead of outsourcing. Movie theatres have a lot of kids hanging around w/o cell phones, "Mom, I need a ride :)"
>
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>>In Canada we have 5 BIG banks and 50-60 smaller outfits. The big banks are removing their ATM machines all over the place and wierd-branded machines are taking their place. An investigation showed that 3 such of the three brands found were companies owned by one or other of the big banks!
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>>MBAs looking for loopholes and sucking as hard as possible.
>
>Changing topic, I sure would like to come and visit Canada sometime.

I think you'd like this place. By and large it is very similar to the US facilities-wise. Your same business brands and amenities.

For a REAL change, but with the "backup" of English being readily understood by virtually everyone there, I'd recommend Montreal and Quebec City.
Quebec province's road signs are all French (making it different for sure) but in the same style as all North American signs. Once you get over that "Ouest" means west (not that hard really) Nord is north, Sud is south and Est is east as well as Pont is a bridge you're pretty well set.
Real good food and real lively people there too.

Now if it's hunting/fishing you want, I know we have first-class outfitters throughout the country, but I'm afraid I know little about that stuff. I did see that a world-record lake trout was caught last week (way) up north. The lady who caught it let it go so someone else could have the fun too.