THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE of the Connected Coast project in B.C. has officially begun, joint venture partners CityWest and Strathcona Regional District announced last week.
The $45.4 million project, announced in 2018, is funded by the federal and provincial governments and is being co-managed by Prince Rupert-based CityWest and the Strathcona Regional District.
The undersea cable project will bring high-speed Internet access to 139 rural and remote coastal communities, including 48 Indigenous communities, along the B.C. coast from north of Prince Rupert, to Haida Gwaii, south to Vancouver, and around Vancouver Island, explains a press release.
Baylink Networks is the main contractor for the project and the CanPac Valour is the vessel being used to lay the undersea cable that will run over 3,400 kilometres along the B.C. coast.
The start of the project was celebrated last Friday at an event in Campbell River, one of the future landing sites for the project.
(Pictured are Connected Coast project partners aboard the CanPac Valour vessel in the Campbell River harbour on Oct. 29.)
“The start of construction is an exciting milestone for the Connected Coast Project,” said Brad Unger, chair, Strathcona Regional District Board, in the press release. “Momentum is building. Rural and remote communities will soon have the same digital opportunities as urban centres. We are steps closer to benefiting from improved connectivity.”
“This event is the culmination of hard work for everyone involved in the Connected Coast project, from our funders to the project managers to the permitting team,” said Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest.
“We’re thrilled that this project is officially launching, and we’re looking forward to seeing how this huge fibre-optic line will benefit the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who live along its route,” Woloszyn added.
The Connected Coast project will start deploying subsea fibre cable within the coming weeks, according to the press release.
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Photo supplied by CityWest.
