85 homes in the Gitga'at First Nation will soon have a connection to the fibre option program in British Columbia, with North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice announcing on Monday that work will move forward on high speed Internet access for residents of Hartley Bay.
“Internet service in rural and coastal communities isn't just a convenience; it's a virtual lifeline. It connects our communities to each other, but also to vital health services, economic opportunities, education, and more. In these areas, reliable internet service isn't a luxury; it's a necessity, bridging the gap between individuals and the support they need to thrive.” -- Jennifer Rice, MLA for the North Coast.
The connectivity project is supported by $104,428 in provincial funding and $923,736 in federal funding. The network will be built and operated by CityWest and will provide faster broadband speeds for people living in the community and provide improved access to digital services, educational resources, and economic opportunities.
CityWest CEO Stefan Woloszyn noted how the Prince Rupert based company would be bringing its Fibre to the home project to the community.
“Today’s announcement sets the stage to bring improved connectivity to more underserved communities across the province. CityWest’s fibre-to-the-home projects will bring these residents and businesses urban-class connectivity, creating equal opportunities for more rural, remote and Indigenous British Columbians. We would like to express our thanks to the Province of B.C. and the federal government for their vision on ensuring that these communities are able to unlock their connectivity destiny.”
No timeline towards when the community would be fully connected was outlined in the Monday announcement.
The Hartley Bay project was just one of a number of projects noted on Monday by the Federal and Provincial government which has announced more than 37 million dollars to be put to use for connectivity work across BC.
The full statement on the spending on connection projects is available here.
A look at some of the past projects that CityWest has taken on from Federal and Provincial funding can be reviewed here.
More notes on CityWest themes can be explored through our archive page.
Jennifer
ReplyDeleteWhen is Prince Rupert going to be connected to the undersea link?
That question would be better directed to CityWest. The province and feds have been providing funding to assist internet connections to rural and remote communities, but Prince Rupert does not fall into that category.
DeleteCity West was going to do this a couple years ago. They don’t seem to answer. Council is mute on CityWest. I guess shareholders have no right to no what is going on no the financial situation. Even though they owe the taxpayers a lot of money.
DeleteIt's good that Rob Buchan is on the CityWest board, but the council really needs to appoint some new people to bring different approaches including to improve transparency and communications and to make it less of an old boys club.
DeleteSell Citywest to the All Nations Trust Company. It is a perfect fit to their Pathways to Technology initiative.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.pathwaystotechnology.ca/interactive-map