Rogers family drama: These are the key players as court hearing approaches

The Rogers family drama ranges from opposing public statements to series of Tweets, and here are some of the people at the centre of it all.

The family drama at Rogers Communications Inc. continues to play out ahead of a legal hearing in B.C. Supreme Court on Monday.

The saga, which has spilled out of the boardroom and into the public eye, has gripped Canadians’ attention as questions remain over who will direct the telecommunications titan.

Experts say the family drama needs to cool as it won’t solve the issues at hand, especially in the lead-up to Monday’s hearing.

Here’s a look at the central figures in the Rogers family drama.

The saga begins with 52-year-old Edward Rogers, who was ousted as chair of the corporate board last week after attempting to remove CEO Joe Natale. Edward, using his position as head of the Rogers Control Trust, the controlling shareholder of the company, fought back and said he would remove five board members and substitute them with his own appointees.

His new, five-member board elected him chair on Sunday. The company has disputed that move, and it will now play out in B.C. court, the province in which Rogers is incorporated.

Edward, who is the only son of late company founder Ted Rogers, said in a legal affidavit filed Tuesday that he lost confidence in Natale to lead the company through the acquisition of Shaw Communications, a $26-billion purchase and the largest deal in the company’s history.

The board, which includes members of his family, eventually rejected the move and reaffirmed support for Natale.