Government of Canada invests to bring high-speed Internet to 310 households in rural Ontario

Residents of rural communities to benefit from increased connectivity

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 25, 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, Adam van Koeverden, Member of Parliament for Milton, Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, announced $123,400 in funding for two projects that will bring high-speed Internet to 310 households in rural areas near Flamborough and Limehouse, Ontario. Funding will be allocated to Bell Canada as follows:

• $39,400 for a project benefiting the community of Flamborough
• $84,000 for a project benefiting the community of Limehouse

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 is such excellent news for rural Ontario! The pandemic has shown us how essential high-speed Internet access is for school, work, health and daily life. Our government understands that it is urgent and vital to connect rural communities throughout Canada, and that includes Ontario."
– Adam van Koeverden, Member of Parliament for Milton

"This investment will bring reliable high-speed Internet access to 310 households in Flamborough and Limehouse, Ontario, helping create jobs, improving access to health care and online learning services, and keeping people connected. Through the Universal Broadband Fund, the Government of Canada has committed over $2.6 billion to date to connect rural Canadians to better, faster Internet. 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

"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 is 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 also proud to invest an additional $546,700 to partner with the Government of Canada in providing residents of Flamborough and Limehouse with access to the fastest fibre home Internet speeds available."
– Bruce Furlong, Senior Vice-President, Access Engineering and Deployment, Bell Canada

Quick facts

• The projects announced today are receiving $123,400 in Government of Canada funding to bring high-speed Internet to 310 households in two communities.
• 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.
• 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.
• In 2021, 131 projects supported through the Rapid Response Stream of the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) were announced. These projects will bring high-speed Internet to more than 75,000 households in rural and remote communities across Canada.
• 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.
• The UBF is part of a suite of federal investments to improve high-speed Internet. The suite includes the Connect to Innovate program, which is expected to connect nearly 400,000 households by 2023, and the $2 billion broadband initiative from the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

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

Stay connected

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA

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]