HARTLEY BAY, B.C. — Prince Rupert-based telecom company CityWest announced last Friday the Connected Coast project in Northern B.C. has now reached the remote village of Hartley Bay.
To date, more than 250 kilometres of subsea fibre has been laid as part of the project, which has been made possible with funding from the B.C. and federal governments, a CityWest press release explains.
Valued at $45.4 million, the Connected Coast project is a joint venture between CityWest and the Strathcona Regional District. Construction on the project started last fall.
When finished, the project “will provide backbone communication services to 139 rural and remote communities, including 48 Indigenous communities — representing 44 First Nations — along the B.C. Coast from Prince Rupert, to Haida Gwaii, south to Vancouver, and around Vancouver Island,” according to the press release.
For the Hartley Bay portion of the project, a new company jointly created by CityWest and the Gitga’at Development Corporation, announced last November — CityWest Gitga’at Communications Corp. — will “jointly manage a leg of the Connected Coast project between Hartley Bay and Kitamaat Village, as well as providing last mile fibre-to-the-home services in the community of Hartley Bay,” the release says.
“This unique partnership structure will see the company re-invest a portion of its profits into Gitga’at communities, while also giving community members more influence over their connectivity needs,” the release reads.
“It’s great to see the project progressing. It’s also great to be able to directly contribute to the Connected Coast project through the use of the Gitga’at Transporter and the Ocean Destiny (above) in laying the submerged fibre for a number of sections,” said Paul Paterson, CEO of Gitga’at Management, in the release.
“The very real and very positive impacts of the Connected Coast project to the remote Indigenous communities of B.C. will be measured in decades, not just years, and will impact the lives of thousands of people,” Paterson added.
“It is truly exciting to see this large project moving into its tangible phase of development, having passed through a significant portion of the stakeholder engagement and permitting related processes. This now clears the way for a summer of significant cable laying along the Coast of British Columbia,” said Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest.
“We are humbled to be a partner of the Gitga’at Nation and we would like to express our thanks (to) the Province of B.C., the Federal Government as well as Indigenous Services Canada for their vision on ensuring that coastal communities are able to unlock their connectivity aspirations though best in class Internet connectivity.”
Since announcing in late January the first 50 kilometres of subsea fibre-optic cable had been deployed, the Connected Coast project has seen fibre connected at shore landings in Oona River, Kitkatla, Bonilla Island, Tom Island and Hartley Bay, CityWest’s press release says. Fibre had been laid previously at shore landings in Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla, Dodge Cove and Ridley Island.
“Before the fibre-optic cabling was laid in the water, shoreline cabinets were constructed in each of the communities: this is the access point for each community, where their local network connects to the subsea network,” the release explains.
The Connected Coast project will continue gaining momentum throughout the year.
“Over the following months, the project team will connect the Northern communities of Klemtu, Bella Bella, Martin Valley, Ocean Fall, Bella Coola, and Tlell, along with other strategic locations in between. The Tlell and Bella Coola landing sites will be the access points to across points for fibre-optic services across Haida Gwaii and the Bella Coola valley,” the release says.
“Afterward, the construction project team will be moving down to the southern areas of B.C. off the east coast of Vancouver Island, ultimately terminating in Vancouver.”
For more, please click here.
Photo provided by CityWest.
