Connecting Canadians
Backgrounder
For most Canadians, access to affordable and reliable broadband networks is an important part of everyday life; however, communities outside urban centres often face challenges in accessing Internet service at levels comparable to those in cities due to factors such as remote location and challenging terrain.
The Government of Canada is committed to increasing high-speed broadband coverage for rural Canadians. Enhancing and extending access will create new employment opportunities for rural and northern Canadians by increasing their ability to participate in the digital economy. Improved broadband access will also provide households with the ability to use distance education and cloud computing applications, and it will help Canadians in rural and remote communities stay connected to friends and family members.
Through the Connecting Canadians program, the Government is contributing $305 million to extend and enhance broadband service to a minimum target speed of five megabits per second (Mbps) for over 300,000 Canadians households.
Budget 2016 committed $500 million over five years for a new program to extend and enhance broadband services in rural and remote communities. Investment in quality broadband networks will extend access to innovative services that improve education, health care, productivity and local quality of life. Further details on the new program will be available in the coming months.
| Province |
Project Applicant Name |
Households Targeted* |
Connecting Canadians Funding* |
| British Columbia** |
A.B.C. Allen Business Communications Ltd. |
12,000 |
$2.4 million |
| Twin Island Communications Ltd. |
150 |
$8,500 |
|
| Village of Granisle |
250 |
$121,000 |
|
| Brooks Bay Cable Corp. |
550 |
$125,000 |
|
| Base Technology Ltd. |
1,000 |
$492,000 |
|
| Mascon Cable Systems Ltd. |
950 |
$626,000 |
|
| GwaiiTel Society |
1,800 |
$7.6 million |
|
| Lookieloo.net Sales & Purchases Ltd. |
200 |
$89,000 |
|
| Minto Communications Society |
80 |
$52,000 |
|
| Telus Communications |
6,900 |
$4.5 million |
|
| Alberta |
IWantWireless.ca |
4,000 |
$1.2 million |
| Arrow Technology Group Ltd. |
2,000 |
$2.4 million |
|
| Manitoba |
Norway House Cree Nation Broadband Inc. |
1,000 |
$4.7 million |
| First Communications |
140 |
$780,000 |
|
| Ontario*** |
True 802 Wireless, Inc. |
600 |
$93,000 |
| Xplornet Communications Inc. |
7,000 |
$612,000 |
|
| Nexicom Ltd. |
250 |
$107,000 |
|
| Storm Internet Services |
950 |
$160,000 |
|
| Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative Ltd. |
35 |
$19,000 |
|
| TbayTel |
820 |
$950,000 |
|
| Nova Scotia |
Acadian Communications Ltd. |
400 |
$46,000 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador**** |
Xplornet Communications Inc. |
12,500 |
$3.5 million |
| Burgeo Broadcasting System |
90 |
$60,000 |
|
| Prince Edward Island |
Xplornet Communications Inc. |
12,000 |
$1.6 million |
| Northwest Territories |
Northwestel Inc. |
500 |
$2.6 million |
* Household targets represent an estimate; coverage within a community will depend on its size, local topography and other factors. The amount of funding awarded to each company represents "up to" the cited amount.
** The Government of British Columbia is providing an additional approximately $3.4 million for six of the projects listed above through the Connecting British Columbia grant program, administered province-wide by Northern Development Initiative Trust. The six co-funded projects are with ABC Communications, Village of Granisle, Brooks Bay Cable Corp, Base Technology Ltd., Lookieloo and Minto.
*** The Government of Ontario is providing an additional approximately $1.4 million for two of the projects through its Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
**** The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is providing an additional approximately $51,000 for the Burgeo project within that province.
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