Government of Canada invests $555,777 to bring high-speed Internet to 136 households in rural Ontario

Residents of rural communities to benefit from increased connectivity

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 8, 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 $555,777 in funding to bring high-speed Internet to 136 households in rural areas near North Bay, Ontario.

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 

"This investment will bring reliable high-speed Internet access to 136 households near Hornell Heights, Ontario, helping create jobs, improving access to health care and online learning services, and keeping people connected. Since 2015, the Government of Canada has committed $7.2 billion to connect rural Canadians to better, faster Internet by 2026. We will continue making investments like these in rural and remote communities to help connect every single Canadian to high-speed Internet."
– The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development

"The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that high-speed Internet is an absolute necessity for all Canadians, including people in the North Bay area. This project will allow more residents to have access to reliable high-speed Internet so that they can work, learn and keep in touch with their loved ones from home. Access to high-speed Internet is critical for economic development and for our region's overall recovery from the pandemic as it allows small businesses to serve customers from anywhere in the world."
– The Honourable Anthony Rota, Member of Parliament for Nipissing–Timiskaming

"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. That's why Bell committed to further accelerating our industry-leading capital investment plan to connect even more communities across the country. In addition to our own fully funded capital investments, we are proud to invest a further $185,259 to partner with the Government of Canada in providing residents near Hornell Heights with access to the fastest fibre home Internet speeds available."
– Bruce Furlong, Senior Vice-President, Access Engineering and Deployment, Bell Canada

Quick facts

• The project announced today is receiving $555,777 in Government of Canada funding to bring high-speed Internet to 136 households near Hornell Heights.
• 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 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.
• As of January 2022, 139 projects supported through the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) were announced. These projects will bring high-speed Internet to more than 79,000 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 high-speed Internet to over 1.1 million households in rural and remote communities across Canada.

Associated links

• Backgrounder: Universal Broadband Fund and Telesat low Earth orbit capacity agreement
• Universal Broadband Fund
• Connect to Innovate Program – Project status updates
• Canada Infrastructure Bank announcement
• High-Speed Access for All: Canada's Connectivity Strategy

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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Jeremy Bellefeuille, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Rural Economic Development, 343-551-0898, [email protected]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]