CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. — Municipally owned Northern B.C. telecom company CityWest announced today it has officially entered into a joint venture agreement with Strathcona Regional District (SRD) to improve broadband connectivity across the region.
Known as the Connected Coast project, the purpose of the joint venture is to bring high-speed Internet accessibility to rural and remote communities along coastal B.C., Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island. The project was announced almost three years ago, with SRD and CityWest working with the federal and provincial governments to determine the details and final funding for the project. (At the time of its announcement in January 2018, the joint federal-provincial investment was pegged at just over $45 million.)
After earlier delays and then interruptions earlier this year due to Covid-19 and CityWest transitioning to a new CEO, the project has been refreshed over the past few months, which has led to the joint venture agreement now being officially ratified.
The next steps in the project will involve community engagement, permitting and detailed network design, says the CityWest press release. More information on the next steps of the project will be posted on the Connected Coast website when made official. (The website was first launched in May 2018.)
The Connected Coast project will construct and operate a subsea fibre-optic network that will run from north of Prince Rupert, to Haida Gwaii, south along coastal B.C. to Vancouver, then around Vancouver Island, connecting 159 rural and remote coastal communities, including 51 Indigenous communities representing 44 First Nations, says the press release. Over 9,000 homes and businesses are to be connected.
“Given the scope, complexity and magnitude of the Connected Coast project, the SRD is thrilled to proceed with the project through this joint partnership,” said Dave Leitch, chief administrative officer of the SRD, in the press release. “The excitement around the region for the project is building, especially during this pandemic as people are realizing the need and how life-changing improved connectivity can be for our rural and remote communities.”
“This partnership with SRD will ultimately help people in underserved communities along the coast,” added Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest. “We’ve worked very closely over the past two years on this project, and we’re looking forward to seeing some tangible results soon.”
“Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was clear that access to high-speed Internet is the key to our economic prosperity, health and safety,” Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development Maryam Monsef was quoted as saying in the press release. “Through investments in broadband, we continue to open doors so all Canadians can stay connected with loved ones and participate in everyday activities online. We are supporting projects that will connect one million households across the country and have made billions available to connect even more.”
(Ed note: As of May 2020, projects backed by the federal government since its Connect to Innovate program was launched in 2016 had connected just 25,000 households. Newer information has not yet been made available by the federal government. It seems delays like the one we’ve seen here with the Connected Coast venture are not uncommon and the country still awaits news on the Universal Broadband Fund. In the meantime, rural Canadians continue to wait for better broadband through this pandemic just like they did prior to the crisis.)
