Connecting all Canadians to broadband internet remains a high priority for the Government of Canada, especially in rural settings. Residents of Astorville, Bonfield, Calvin, East Ferris, Mattawa, and Rutherglen will be benefiting from a $12,900,000 investment announced jointly by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario.

The Honourable Anthony Rota, Member of Parliament for Nipissing-Timiskaming says, “Broadband is critical infrastructure, and the pandemic has made this more apparent than ever. This investment will allow residents in Astorville, Bonfield, Calvin, East Ferris, Mattawa, and Rutherglen to have access to high-speed Internet, which will create jobs, improve health and safety for all, and help bridge the rural-urban divide.”

2,459 total homes will be connected through this project with Bell Canada providing the Internet service.

Rota says, “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how much we rely on our Internet connections, making access to fast and reliable Internet service even more critical. People’s lives are moving more and more online, and the investments being made today will create incredible potential for our residents to work, learn and keep in touch with their loved ones from home.”

The Government of Canada has set a national target of connecting 98 per cent of Canadians by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030.

“For too long, many rural Canadians have lacked access to high-speed Internet impacting the ability for business to create jobs and have improve access to health care and online learning services and that's why this infrastructure is so critical across Canada and much needed in our riding,” says Rota.

These projects form part of a collaboration announced in July 2021 as part of a historic $1.2 billion agreement to bring high-speed Internet to nearly 280,000 rural Ontario households in hundreds of other communities across the province.

Rota says, “The investments will allow small businesses that were previously unable to access new markets and stay in touch with clients due to connection limitations will now be able to take their businesses online – helping them and their customers interact with one another as we recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic.”

Quick facts

• The projects announced today are a part of a larger announcement made on April 19, 2022 by the Governments of Canada and Ontario announcing projects which will provide joint funding to bring high-speed Internet access to many communities in regions across Ontario.
• 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.
• The Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) is a $2.75 billion investment by the Government of Canada designed to help connect 98 percent of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and achieve the national target of 100 percent connectivity by 2030. Only the hardest-to-reach households may take until 2030 to get connected.
• On July 29, 2021, a Canada-Ontario broadband partnership was announced. This agreement will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 280,000 households across Ontario with a total investment of more than $1.2 billion, co-funded equally by both levels of government.

Associated links

• Universal Broadband Fund
• Backgrounder: Universal Broadband Fund and Telesat low Earth orbit capacity agreement
• Canada Infrastructure Bank
• High-Speed Access for All: Canada’s Connectivity Strategy
• Ontario Connects: making high-speed Internet accessible in every community