Government of Canada invests over $5.3 million to bring high-speed Internet access to 1,662 households in Ontario

Rural communities to benefit from increased connectivity to high-speed Internet

OTTAWA, ON, May 3, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how we live, work, learn and do business, and now more than ever, Canadians across the country need reliable high-speed Internet to access services, supports and opportunities. Through the Universal Broadband Fund's (UBF) Rapid Response Stream, the Government of Canada is taking immediate action to get people living in rural and remote communities connected to high-speed Internet.

Today, the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, announced more than $5.3 million in funding for Bell Canada, Golden Rural High Speed and HuronTel to bring high-speed Internet to 1,662 households in rural Ontario. Communities that will benefit from these projects are Alberton, Bogies Beach, Burnt River, Caledon Village, Glen Orchard, Jerseyville, Juddhaven, Kinmount, Minett, Mount Pleasant, Port Carling, Port Sandfield and Tower Manor.

Today's announcement builds on the Government of Canada's progress toward making sure that 98% of Canadians have access to high-speed Internet by 2026. As we work to rebuild from the pandemic, the Government of Canada will continue to make investments in infrastructure to build strong communities and a more competitive and resilient Canada for everyone.

Quotes

"We need to close the connection gap and ensure that every nook and cranny of Ontario has access to reliable high-speed Internet—whether that's in Oil Springs or Carlsbad Springs or all the way on the shores of Lake Superior. Today's announcement of more than $5.3 million in new funding to connect 1,662 rural households in the province is a milestone for Ontarians. Investments like these help create jobs, improve access to health care and online learning services, and keep us connected to our loved ones. The Government of Canada will continue to make investments like these to help achieve our national target of connecting 98% of Canadians by 2026 and 100% by 2030."

– The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development

"Today's announcement is great news for the people of southern Ontario. High-speed Internet access is an essential tool that has only been made more vital due to the pandemic. Our government understands that it is critical to connect Canadians, especially in rural and remote regions, and we will continue to make investments that connect Canadians across the country."

– The Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

"Access to high-speed broadband networks is helping drive Canada's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and will be a key driver of future social and economic prosperity. We are proud to partner with the Government of Canada to provide residents in Alberton, Jerseyville, Port Carling, Minett, Juddhaven, Port Sandfield, Glen Orchard and Caledon Village with access to the fastest fibre home Internet speeds available. Through our own fully funded capital expansion plan and through partnerships like this, Bell is proud to help connect more communities across our footprint."

– Bruce Furlong, Senior Vice-President, Access Engineering and Deployment, Bell Canada

"We are very excited at Golden Rural High Speed, which has been serving our community since 2013, to expand our service offering to include fibre to the home. In our combined projects, we will be connecting almost 400 rural households, which would be cost prohibitive without the Universal Broadband Fund. Working from home and doing online schooling have become a necessity in the last two years, and we see it becoming even more important, making high speed and reliable Internet increasingly an essential service."

– Ryan Moore, CEO, Golden Rural High Speed

"HuronTel is pleased to now offer fibre optic broadband services to this previously underserved area around Bogies Beach. This project builds on HuronTel's commitment to serve the residents and businesses in our small towns and rural communities with much-needed high-speed Internet."

– Ryan McClinchey, General Manager, HuronTel

Quick facts

• The projects announced today are receiving over $5.3 million in Government of Canada funding to bring high-speed Internet to 1,662 households in Alberton, Bogies Beach, Burnt River, Caledon Village, Glen Orchard, Jerseyville, Juddhaven, Kinmount, Minett, Mount Pleasant, Port Carling, Port Sandfield and Tower Manor, Ontario.
• Canada's Connectivity Strategy aims to provide all Canadians with access to Internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download / 10 Mbps upload.
• The Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) is a $2.75 billion investment by the Government of Canada designed to help connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and achieve the national target of 100% connectivity by 2030. Only the hardest-to-reach households may take until 2030 to get connected.
• To date, 180 projects supported through the UBF's Rapid Response Stream have been announced. These projects will bring high-speed Internet to more than 92,000 households in rural and remote communities across Canada.
• The UBF is part of a suite of federal investments to improve high-speed Internet. Find out more on the High-speed Internet for all of Canada page.
• Since 2015, Government of Canada funding has supported projects to bring improved Internet speeds to over 1.2 million households in rural and remote communities across Canada.

Associated links

• Universal Broadband Fund
• Backgrounder: Universal Broadband Fund and Telesat low Earth orbit capacity agreement
• Canada Infrastructure Bank
• High-Speed Access for All: Canada's Connectivity Strategy
• Ontario Connects: making high-speed Internet accessible in every community

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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Luka Vujic, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Rural Economic Development, 343-571-9582, [e-mail]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [e-mail]