Rural communities to benefit from increased connectivity to high-speed internet
Ontario – All Canadians need reliable and affordable high-speed internet, no matter where they live. The governments of Canada and Ontario are taking action to bring high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved communities.
Jenna Sudds, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth and Member of Parliament for Kanata–Carleton, on behalf of Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, together with Merrilee Fullerton, Member of Provincial Parliament for Kanata–Carleton, announced over $13 million in federal and provincial funding for Bell Canada to bring high-speed internet access to more than 6,400 homes in the communities of Arnprior, Braeside, Burnstown, Carp, Constance Bay, Dunrobin, Fitzroy Harbour, Glasgow Station, Kinburn, Marathon Village and White Lake.
The projects being announced today are 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 more than 280,000 homes across the province. This historic partnership was made possible by a joint federal-provincial investment totalling more than $1.2 billion.
Today’s announcement builds on the Government of Canada’s progress toward ensuring that 98 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed internet by 2026, and 100 per cent by 2030. The announcement also brings the Government of Ontario closer to achieving its goal of bringing reliable high-speed internet access to every community by the end of 2025.