Donald Teuma-Castelletti
LADYSMITH June 30, 2018
Federal and provincial governments have joined forces on bringing high-speed internet service to the Outaouais, announcing a contribution of over $2 million each in financial assistance to the project.
At a press conference held at the Thorne Community Recreation Association led by Pontiac MP Will Amos and Quebec Minister of Transport and Pontiac MNA André Fortin, nearly 40 people gathered to hear that the governments would be granting this money to Bell Canada and Télébec, as the companies increase accessibility to the service in 16 communities.
“We know this is a problem, [high-speed internet] is what we need in order to get to the 21st century, we absolutely have to have it,” said Amos.
“[This announcement] is a good sign that governments can work together when it comes to quality services that are essential for communities,” said Fortin.
The Minister of Transport said this expansion is important not only for recreational use, but small business growth, working from home and cottages, homework, and much more.
“Cottagers … we want them in our communities, we want them shopping in our local stores, we want them spending their money in the area, obviously, but if they want to extend their stays by a couple of days they may want to do some work at the same time, so high-speed internet is absolutely essential to them,” said Fortin. “Our kids, they want access to the best information out there, they want access to the best entertainment out there, and often that comes from good internet.”
In total, it is expected that over 1,425 households in the Outaouais will benefit from this contribution, across 16 regions. These regions include: Norway Bay, Sand Bay, Portage du Fort, Ladysmith, Chapeau, Cawood, Thorne Lake, Bristol, Waltham, Chichester, Sheenboro, Rapides des Joachims, Plage Baie Noire, Low, Lac Cayamant, and Denholm.
“Last time, for this announcement, we went to the MRCs and asked them where the priority areas in the regions were,” said Fortin, of determining which regions would benefit in this project. “They came forward with specific projects for specific communities. For the next phase, we’ll probably be looking at much the same, going both to Bell Canada and to the MRC to see where their priorities are and how we can get as many people connected as quickly as possible.”
When guests to the conference pressed for a timeline on the project, Fortin said that the deal will be signed soon, with work expected to begin in the fall.
“Right now, Bell Canada, Télébec, and our two governments are just finalizing the deal and that should be done very shortly,” said Fortin. “After that, they can start organizing and implementing the project and we hope to have all the communities listed connected within three years.”
Other concerns raised by the guests included the choice of providers, affordability, and for access to a map of which households will benefit at this time.
Amos explained that a map was certainly made, but because they are private companies, the government does not have access to it.
Fortin elaborated that, despite this initial project not ensuring high-speed internet for everyone, the provincial government has committed to providing the entire province with access to it.
“At the same time, we’re working on the second phase of the program so that we can connect every home in Quebec to high-speed internet, within four years,” he continued.
In total, both governments will provide $2,003,064 to the companies, with the expected cost of the whole project to be totalled at $6,635,075.
“That taxpayer money is leveraging $2.6 million dollars in further investment from the private sector,” explained Amos. “That’s a crucial thing to understand, is that the internet is provided by the private sector, period. Across Canada, that’s how it is provided and when it’s not provided in rural Canada, it’s because the private sector doesn’t find that there’s an adequate cost-benefit equation for them. With taxpayer money … this creates a winning situation for various small communities to benefit.”
For the federal government, their money comes from the Connect to Innovate program, which is meant to assist rural and remote communities nationally by increasing access to high-speed internet services. The provincial money comes from the Quebec Connected Program, which has the same goal, albeit within the province.
This announcement was also made at a second location on Saturday, when another press conference was held in Waltham in the early afternoon.