The federal government on Monday announced more than $96.8 million in funding from the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) for a project by Valley Fiber Ltd. to bring high-speed internet access to up to 7,875 homes in more than 50 rural and remote communities across Manitoba.
“Reliable high-speed Internet is no longer optional infrastructure — it is the foundation for education, health care and economic opportunity. This investment allows Valley Fiber to reach communities in rural and remote Manitoba that have been overlooked for too long. We have the network, the team and the track record to deliver on that commitment,” Ryan Klassen, CEO of Valley Fiber, said in the federal government’s press release.
The announcement Monday from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) follows one from the Manitoba government last week announcing it was supporting Valley Fiber in a major expansion of broadband services for underserved northern communities in the province.
Under that agreement, Manitoba Hydro is granting Valley Fiber access to two unused strands of its fibre-optic network for a period of up to 20 years, enabling Valley Fiber to connect or improve broadband service for more than 3,500 households across 11 communities. A provincial spokesperson told Cartt on Tuesday these communities include Amaranth, Easterville, Chemawawin First Nation, Clearwater Lake, Clearwater Lake West, Ebb and Flow First Nation, Gillam, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Paint Lake, The Pas and Wabowden.
“This access (to Manitoba Hydro’s fibre-optic network) will allow Valley Fiber to fulfil commitments under its Universal Broadband Fund application and deliver high-speed broadband service to communities that currently lack reliable service,” the Manitoba government’s press release said.
“Valley Fiber is proud to be working with the Manitoba government on this important step to connect communities across our province with high-speed internet, as we build on our existing network and long-term commitment to rural Manitoba,” Valley Fiber’s Klassen said in last week’s provincial announcement.
The additional communities that are being supported by Manitoba are expected to be included in a future federal government phase, according to the provincial spokesperson.
Manitoba’s minister of innovation and new technology, Mike Moroz, said in the federal government’s press release: “By unlocking unused provincial fiber capacity and partnering with a Manitoba-based provider, we’re accelerating progress that translates into real, tangible benefits for northern families.”
Quoted in Manitoba’s press release, Buckley Belanger, federal secretary of state for rural development, said: “Complementing the federal Universal Broadband Fund, this partnership will help level the playing field and ensure communities across northern Manitoba have access to the tools they need to succeed.”
In its press release Monday, ISED said 94.1 per cent of households in Manitoba currently have access to high-speed internet. According to an update by ISED delivered in the House of Commons earlier this month, which was based on the CRTC’s Communications Market Reports, as of the end of 2024, 92.8 per cent of all households in Manitoba had access to high-speed internet. In the same update, however, ISED reported only 75 per cent of rural homes in Manitoba had high-speed internet access by the end of 2024.
The aim of the federal government’s Universal Broadband Fund is to provide high-speed internet access (which the government defines as having a minimum of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds) to 98 per cent of Canadian households by the end of 2026 and to achieve the national target of 100 per cent access by 2030.
ISED’s press release reiterated the Canadian government’s often-stated message that it is on track to meet its connectivity targets.
