DAWSON CREEK, BC; ST JOHN’S, NL — Rural communities in the Peace Region of British Columbia as well as Newfoundland and Labrador will be the latest to benefit from high-speed Internet as part of the federal government’s Connecting Canadians program.
The Peace Region Internet Society will receive up to $278,000 to connect nearly 2,000 households to faster Internet services, Bob Zimmer, Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River, announced in a news release.
“With this new investment by the Government of Canada, residents of the Peace Region will now have faster, more reliable Internet access, allowing more of us the opportunity to share our beautiful region online and better connect with the rest of the world,” MP Zimmer said in the news release.
This broadband infrastructure project will provide minimum Internet download speeds of 5 Mbps and is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. The 16 communities in B.C. that will benefit from the project include Arras, Baldonnel, Blueberry River First Nations, Cecil Lake, Charlie Lake, Chetwynd, Clayhurst, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Hudson’s Hope, Jackfish Lake, Kiskatinaw, Progress, Rose Prairie, Taylor and Tomslake.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the federal government will provide Bell Aliant with up to $611,320, along with $291,910 from the provincial government through the Rural Broadband Initiative, to connect more than 820 households in 14 communities to high-speed Internet, the Honourable Rob Moore, Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), announced in a separate press release.
“Today’s broadband infrastructure announcement is great news for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Our government understands the importance of high-speed Internet access for rural communities across the country and is pleased to support the Connecting Canadians initiative,” Minister Moore said in the news release.
The project is expected to be completed by July 1, 2017, delivering Internet to homes at a minimum speed of 5 Mbps, according to the release. Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador to be connected include Deep Bay, Herring Neck, Indian Cove, New Bonaventure, Old Bonaventure, Pleasantview, Purcell’s Harbour, Red Cliff (near Grand Falls), Salvage, Saunders Cove, Stag Harbour, St. Joseph’s Cove-St. Veronica’s, Tilting and Trouty.
