Thanks to a total investment of $34.8 million—made as part of Canada–Quebec Operation High Speed that was announced on March 22—4,340 households in the Haut-Saint-François RCM and the Val-Saint-François RCM will have access to Cogeco high-speed Internet services by September 2022.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that connecting all Canadians to high-speed Internet has never been more important. Our government is therefore investing heavily to connect all households and businesses in the Eastern Townships by September 2022. With this announcement, and thanks to our good collaboration with the Government of Quebec, we’re increasing the potential for economic growth and helping improve the quality of life of Quebecers in every corner of the province.”
- The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Member of Parliament for Compton–Stanstead

“The Estrie region and all Quebec regions need to have access to a reliable Internet connection and to digital broadband services. By investing in these projects as part of Canada–Quebec Operation High Speed, our government is helping expand access to high-speed Internet while stimulating economic growth and creating good jobs in our regions.”
- Élisabeth Brière, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec) and Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke

“Our ambitious goal is to provide all Quebec residents with high-speed Internet access by September 2022. Today’s announcement is another step in the right direction! The partnership agreement with Cogeco will allow for the deployment of cutting-edge infrastructure in the Estrie region, which will guarantee access to reliable, effective high-speed Internet services. We are investing heavily to make Quebec a leader in connectivity.”
- Gilles Bélanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet) and Member of the National Assembly for Orford

“All Quebecers in all regions need access to high-speed Internet. It’s an essential tool, not only for work and study but also entertainment. Today’s announcement demonstrates that our government is delivering on its commitment, and this partnership with Cogeco will finally give all residents access to suitable services.”
- André Bachand, Member of the National Assembly for Richmond

“Today’s announcement demonstrates the willingness of our government and its partners to rightly connect Quebec. In a rural region such as Mégantic, finally giving residents access to quality high-speed Internet services is more than just a priority. Our Premier, François Legault, made a commitment to do so and I supported his actions, driving home the realities of rural living. I’m very happy to collaborate in this deployment. I would like to thank all the elected officials and partners for their collaboration on this important issue over the past few months.”
- François Jacques, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (municipal affairs) and Member of the National Assembly for Mégantic

“We’re proud to participate in this major project to provide high-speed Internet access to residents of Le Val-Saint-François. Announcements like this one serve to reaffirm the values that we hold dear: to be at the heart of our communities, to connect them and to support them in their economic and social development. We’re committed to accelerating the expansion of our robust network within the scheduled September 2022 time frame.”
- Johanne Hinse, General Manager for Quebec and Vice-President of Programming and Community Relations at Cogeco

• Operation High Speed will ensure connectivity for 150,000 households, notably through unprecedented agreements with six of the biggest telecommunications companies. This is made possible by an equal investment of $826.3 million from the governments of Canada and Quebec.

• The Government of Canada has allocated billions of dollars to Internet infrastructure in rural and remote regions, including $2.75 billion as part of the Universal Broadband Fund, of which $1 billion comes from Budget 2021.

Marie-Pier Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development
613-295-8123
Marie-Pier.Baril@cfc-swc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

Antoine Tousignant
Media Relations Lead
Ministère du Conseil exécutif
418-999-3029

Alexandra Roy
Political Attaché
Office of the Premier
819-212-0459

Anastasia Unterner
Director of Communications and Public Relations
Cogeco Connexion
514-241-7262
anastasia.unterner@cogeco.com

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