ELGIN COUNTY, Ont. – The governments of Ontario and Canada announced Wednesday they are providing more than $4 million in combined funding through Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc. (SWIFT) to bring high-speed internet to 1,567 homes and businesses in Elgin County.
The communities benefiting from the SWIFT-funded fibre build include Corinth, North Hall, Iona, Iona Station, Lawrence Station, Southwold, Tyrconnell, Duttona Beach, New Glasgow, Port Glasgow and Churchville, according to an Ontario government press release.
The announcement marks the completion of three more projects under the SWIFT initiative, which aims to expand high-speed internet access to more than 63,000 households and businesses in southwestern Ontario by the end of 2023.
According to a SWIFT press release, the three internet service providers who worked on the projects and are receiving funding are Execulink Telecom, EH!tel Networks and North Frontenac Telephone Company (NFTC).
When the projects were announced in March 2021, SWIFT said the three ISPs’ combined contributions toward the projects would be more than $2 million.
Execulink’s project involved the deployment of fibre cabling along more than 24 kilometres of underserved roadway in the municipality of Bayham to bring high-speed connectivity to 267 homes and businesses in the communities of Corinth and North Hall, according to SWIFT’s press release. Execulink is receiving $644,040 in government funding toward the cost of this $1.8-million project, according to SWIFT’s approved projects page.
EH!tel deployed fibre along more than 67 kilometres of roads in the municipalities of Southwold and Dutton Dunwich to connect 390 households and businesses within Iona, Iona Station, Lawrence Station and Southwold. The ISP is receiving $2.1 million toward the cost of this project, valued at $3.2 million, according to SWIFT.
NFTC’s project saw the ISP deploy fibre along almost 34 kilometres of roadway throughout West Elgin and Dutton Dunwich to connect 910 homes and businesses located in Duttona Beach, Tyrconnell, New Glasgow, Port Glasgow and Churchville. NFTC is receiving $1.2 million in funding toward this $1.9-million project, SWIFT’s website says.
“With the completion of these Elgin County projects, not only are we closing the digital gaps within our region, but we’re also building stronger and more connected communities that will drive economic growth and create better opportunities for residents,” Barry Field, executive director of SWIFT, said in the non-profit organization’s press release. “We’d like to extend our gratitude to our partners for their invaluable contributions to the success of these projects, recognizing the positive long-term impacts the newly established infrastructure will offer these communities for years to come.”
