WYOMING, ON – Ontario’s largest general farm organization, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), has thrown its support behind SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT).
SWIFT aims to build an affordable, open-access, ultra-high-speed fibre-optic regional broadband network for more than 3.5 million Ontarians across approximately 350 communities in Southwestern Ontario, Caledon and Niagara Region. The project is leveraging over $180 million in combined investments by the federal and provincial governments and over $17 million in investments by municipalities across the region.
“We look forward to representing and championing the connectivity interests of Ontario’s farm families,” said SWIFT board chair Gerry Marshall, in the news release. “Many of Ontario’s farming communities currently face production limitations because of slow internet speeds. Creating a fully integrated fibre optic network will help to eliminate the digital divide that still exists between Ontario’s rural and urban communities.”
The OFA represents 37,000 farm families across the province.
“By becoming a member of SWIFT, the OFA is supporting a strategic broadband initiative that is fundamental to the future prosperity of the entire province,” added OFA president Keith Currie. “This partnership aligns with the launch of our ‘distributed economic development’ campaign for a healthy, vibrant and strong Ontario.”
