OTTAWA – The government of Canada said Tuesday it is providing almost $1.2 million in federal funding through the Universal Broadband Fund for Rogers Communications to bring high-speed internet access to more than 1,600 homes — including over 440 Indigenous households — in 16 rural and remote communities on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.
The communities to benefit from the fibre broadband project include Baddeck, Barra Head, Big Baddeck, Chapel Island (Potlotek First Nation), Grande Greve, Lynche River, Middle River, Nyanza, River Bourgeois, River Tillard, Sampsonville, Soldiers Cove, South Side of Baddeck River, St. Patricks Channel, St. Peter’s and Wagmatcook, according to a backgrounder on the announcement.
“We all know that Internet is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. That’s why our government made a historic commitment to connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026. Today’s announcement highlights our commitment to Internet connectivity in rural Nova Scotia,” said Gudie Hutchings, federal minister of rural economic development and minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, in a statement.
“Access to reliable, high-speed Internet is critical for residents of rural Nova Scotia to stay connected and access health care services, and for businesses to operate and grow. We are proud to partner with the Government of Canada to bring high-speed fibre Internet access to more than 1,600 households,” Ron McKenzie, chief technology and information officer at Rogers, said in the government’s press release.
