OTTAWA — The governments of Canada and Ontario today announced more than $56 million in new combined federal and provincial funding for six projects to bring high-speed Internet access to more than 6,500 households in rural northern and southwestern Ontario, including several First Nation communities.
These new projects build on the two governments’ existing $1.2-billion partnership, announced in July 2021, that is designed to support “large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed Internet access to more than 280,000 rural and remote households across the province,” explains a press release from the Canadian government.
According to a separate backgrounder, the new funding announced today includes:
- more than $2 million in combined federal and provincial funding for a project that will bring high-speed Internet access to 258 households in Armstrong and Whitesand First Nation;
- $2.4 million in joint government funding to deliver high-speed Internet access to 327 households in Frenchman’s Head, Kejick Bay and Lac Seul First Nation;
- $35.7 million in combined funding to bring high-speed Internet to 2,565 households and businesses in Conmee, Gillies, Neebing, O’Connor, Oliver Paipoonge, Shuniah and Thunder Bay;
- $12.4 million to bring high-speed Internet to 2,674 homes and businesses in the Six Nations of the Grand River community;
- $2.3 million to increase high-speed Internet access for 234 households in Barwick and Rainy River; and
- $1.3 million to bring high-speed Internet access to 691 households in Ignace.
The two governments also announced the Internet service providers who have been awarded funding for 28 of the Universal Broadband Fund and Improving Connectivity for Ontario projects announced last July. In total, these projects are receiving more than $398 million in joint federal-provincial funding to bring high-speed Internet access to more than 50,000 households in regions across Ontario. The project details are as follows:
- Bell Canada is receiving a total of $173 million in combined government funding for seven projects that will bring high-speed Internet access to approximately 28,000 households across more than 130 Ontario communities.
- Cogeco Connexion has been awarded $23.9 million in combined funding for five projects that will provide high-speed Internet access to about 4,400 households across 19 communities in Ontario.
- Digital Infrastructure Group Inc. will receive $45 million in combined funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 13,448 households across 39 Ontario communities.
- Execulink Telecom Inc. is receiving $3.6 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet access to 656 households in eight communities.
- Huron Telecommunications Co-operative Limited is being awarded approximately $4.5 million in funding for five projects in Ontario that will bring high-speed Internet to about 900 households across 11 communities.
- Keewaytinook Okimakanak is receiving a total of $59.4 million in funding for two separate projects that will bring high-speed Internet to about 3,200 households spread across 23 remote Ontario communities.
- Matawa First Nations Management is receiving $62.6 million in combined government funding to provide high-speed Internet access to 689 homes in five remote communities.
- Mornington Communications Cooperative Limited will receive $11.6 million in funding to bring high-speed Internet to 1,390 households in 14 rural communities.
- Quadro Communications Co-Operative Inc. has been awarded a total of $3.8 million for three projects to bring high-speed Internet to 558 homes in 10 communities.
- Tuckersmith Communications Cooperative Ltd. will receive $10.6 million in funding to provide high-speed Internet access to 1,191 homes in 11 communities.
- Vianet Inc. is receiving $352,850 in combined government funding to bring high-speed Internet to 117 homes in one community (Carling, Ont.).
