WINNIPEG – Rural and remote households in B.C., Alberta and Manitoba are next in line to benefit from faster, more reliable high-speed Internet as part of the federal government’s Connecting Canadians program.
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, on behalf of ISED Minister Navdeep Bains, said Tuesday that the Feds will invest close to $10 million to improve high-speed Internet to more than 3,500 households in 22 rural and remote communities across the three Western provinces.
The companies that will receive funding under the program are:
– Commstream of Winnipeg, which will receive $5 million to improve service for 1,900 households in communities throughout Manitoba;
– Arrow Technology Group of Edmonton, which will receive $2.6 million to improve service for 1,000 households in Alberta;
– CityWest of Prince Rupert, which will receive $1.7 million to improve service for 520 households in northern British Columbia; and
– Community Wireless Networks of Bamfield, which will receive $425,000 to improve service for 120 households in remote British Columbia.
All projects will be completed by 2019.
“This investment will benefit the middle class and those working to join it in rural and remote areas in Western Canada”, said Minister Carr, in the news release. “It will help create greater employment and business opportunities, better access to online education and e-health, improved communications and access to media, and increased access to online goods and services.”
Announced in July 2014, Connecting Canadians provide incentives for the private sector to invest in wireless and wireline Internet services in specific areas of the country. Backed by a $305 million commitment, the program aims to extend and enhance broadband service to more than 300,000 households in rural and remote regions across Canada.
