Ontario Construction News staff writer
More than $48 million has been awarded to a project by YorkNet, a corporation owned by the Regional Municipality of York, to bring high-speed internet access to over 3,800 homes in 31 Ontario communities.
The provincial and federal governments announced a partnership to fund large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed internet access to more than 280,000 rural and remote households across the province. Total funding will exceed $1.2 billion.
“Through this project, we are expanding high-speed internet access to more communities across York Region,” said Kinga Surma, Ontario’s minister of infrastructure. “It will ensure that everyone in these communities will have access to critical health services and give them the ability to learn and work online, connect with loved ones, and participate in the agriculture sector.”
Canada’s Connectivity Strategy aims to provide all Canadians with access to internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download / 10 Mbps upload. Today, 93.5 per cent of Canadian households have access to high-speed internet or are targeted to receive access through existing program commitments, compared to just 79 per cent in 2014.
“We all know that internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age—it’s a necessity,” said Gudie Hutchings, minister of rural economic development.”