GEORGINA ISLAND and UDORA, Ont. — A $5-million broadband project first announced in May 2019 which will bring high-speed Internet via an underwater fibre-optic cable to Georgina Island on Lake Simcoe in the regional municipality of York is expected to be completed in early 2021, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada re-announced today.
Once completed, 462 households in the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation and the community of Udora will benefit from improved access to high-speed broadband, ISED says in its press release.
The project was jointly funded by the government of Canada, who contributed $2 million through the Connect to Innovate program, and York Region, who contributed $3 million. YorkNet, a municipal services corporation owned and operated by York Region (which we recently wrote about here), is building the underwater backbone for the project.
(This is about the backbone fibre, one which independent ISP Vianet is already building its last mile infrastructure in Udora, which we told you about last month, which uses the YorkNet’s network.)
As of today, the ISP who will be building the last-mile network and providing service on Georgina Island has not been finalized, said YorkNet’s general manager, Laura Bradley, in an email to Cartt.ca. The Chippewas First Nation is currently considering several proposals, she said.
Quoted in ISED’s press release, Chief Donna Big Canoe of Georgina Island First Nation said: “The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation are excited about gaining high-speed Internet access in our buildings. We have had so many challenges doing day-to-day business from our community because of the slow Internet connection. With the pandemic measures and the lockdowns we have had to put in place on our First Nation, Internet is most crucial for our youth for schooling, our businesses and connections with the outside world. As we advance in today’s society, it’s becoming more and more apparent that, in order to continue to move forward, we need to keep progressing and be up to date with technology.”
