The Ontario government is investing another $680 million to improve broadband and cellular access across the province, particularly in rural and remote communities.
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon (November 4) at the Haliburton County Public Library in Minden Hills, accompanied by finance minister Rod Phillips, infrastructure minister and Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott, and Treasury Board president Peter Bethlenfalvy.
“This pandemic has shown us the importance of access to high-speed internet and reliable cell service, access that so many of us take for granted,” Ford said. “Reliable high-speed internet is no longer a luxury, it is necessary for everyday life. It allows people to bank, shop, learn, get their news, or watch their favourite movies.”
Except, Ford said, for people like an area woman who has travelled the world but “is lucky to get one bar of service on her cell phone” at home.
“She says she got better cell reception as a tourist in the Serengeti desert in Africa,” Ford added. “She had five bars of service there.”
The $680 million in funding is in addition to $315 million announced in July 2019, resulting in an investment of almost $1 billion over six years.
The funding will be used for shovel-ready projects starting this year and next.
According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, more than 1.4 million people in Ontario do not have broadband or cellular access, and as many as 12 per cent of households in Ontario — mainly in rural, remote, or northern areas — either have no broadband internet service or are underserved.
“This investment will connect even more residents in communities across Ontario to faster more reliable internet and cell service,” Scott said. “Today’s commitment to connect more people to reliable broadband and cellular service — along with many others we’ve made — will make it easier for more people to work and learn from home, run their businesses and connect with others.”
The $680 million in funding will double the investment in the Improving Connectivity in Ontario (ICON) program, which partners with telecom companies, municipal governments, First Nation communities, and non-profits to improve connectivity. With the additional funding, ICON will be able to leverage more than $900 million in total funding with program partners.
The Ontario government has also partnered with the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) to invest $71 million in a $213 million project to improve access to cellular service and mobile broadband in eastern Ontario.
City of Kawartha Lakes mayor Andy Letham, who is chair of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus that created EORN, also attended Wednesday’s announcement along with Minden Hills mayor Brent Devolin.
“In the 21st century, connectivity is no longer a luxury — it is a necessity,” Letham said. “It is a social, cultural, and economic lifeline for students, families, businesses, and seniors in communities across the province. The COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted this need.”
“Members of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association have been calling for investments in broadband infrastructure, particularly now as we try to recover from COVID-19 and strive for long-term prosperity,” Letham added.
“Today’s exciting announcement by the province of Ontario, on top of previous announcements in connectivity, are welcome and much appreciated. It will help connect more homes and businesses in Ontario communities, increase their economic competitiveness, and improve the quality of life for residents and businesses.”
