Fairness for every generation means making sure everyone in Canada has access to reliable and affordable high-speed Internet, no matter where they live. That is why the governments of Canada and Ontario are bringing high-speed Internet access to underserved small, rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in Ontario.
Today, Terry Sheehan, MP for Sault Ste. Marie, joined Gudie Hutchings, federal Minister of Rural Economic Development, Amarjot Sandhu, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure, and MPs Marc G. Serré and Viviane Lapointe in Sudbury to announce over $97 million in federal and provincial funding for H&M COFI Corporation.
The project will bring high-speed internet access to more than 60 communities along the north shore of Lake Huron between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie and Manitoulin Island. It will serve 18,600 households, including over 2,500 Indigenous households. H&M COFI Corporation has selected ROCK Networks to design, build and operate the network.
The project being announced today is part of an existing partnership between Ontario and Canada. On July 29, 2021, the governments announced a Canada–Ontario broadband partnership to support large scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed Internet access to nearly 280,000 households across the province. This historic agreement was made possible by a joint federal provincial investment totalling more than $1.2 billion.
Everyone in Canada will have access to high-speed Internet by 2030, and 98% of Canadians will be connected by 2026. Canada is on track to meet its connectivity targets. These projects will build toward that goal, and the federal government will continue to invest in infrastructure that creates new opportunities in communities and makes sure they can benefit from all of Canada’s potential.
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“I am proud that our government is taking action to bring high-speed connectivity to the Algoma District and Northern Ontario. In a digitally connected world, rapid and reliable access is essential in everywhere. The funding announced today will help connect us for business, for healthcare, for learning, and for community.”
– Terry Sheehan, Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour and Seniors
“High-speed Internet is no longer a luxury. The federal funding committed today will bring reliable high-speed Internet to up to more than 18,600 underserved homes in communities across Ontario. It is only fair that communities large and small have a reliable connection so they can grow their potential in this digital world.”
– The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
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