CanNor-10-058
Whitehorse, Yukon (December 16, 2010) – The community of Old Crow will soon be able to take advantage of the many benefits of faster internet service, thanks to investments made by the Government of Canada, Government of Yukon and Northwestel.
Senator Daniel Lang, on behalf of the Honourable John Duncan, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), the Honourable Jim Kenyon, Yukon's Minister of Economic Development and Paul Flaherty, President and CEO of Northwestel today announced a combined investment of $242,500 to increase the internet capability for the community of Old Crow.
"Our Government is committed to ensuring that all Canadian communities have access to reliable and consistent internet service," said Senator Lang. "This upgrade is just another step in this Government’s Northern Strategy and it will provide residents of Old Crow with improved access to services like distance learning, telehealth, and online business opportunities."
"Enhanced connectivity in Old Crow will strengthen the community's business, intergovernmental, social and other networks, and provide residents with better access to valuable online resources," Minister Kenyon said. "Our commitment to ensuring Yukoners have access to affordable, high-speed Internet has resulted in Yukon being recognized as one of the most connected broadband regions in Canada."
"Northwestel is very pleased to be a partner in this Internet improvement project," said Paul Flaherty, President and CEO of Northwestel. "This enhancement in Old Crow will offer residents faster and more reliable service. It is another example of how partnerships can enable Northwestel to continually improve our services for the benefit of our customers."
"The Vuntut Gwitchin Government is looking forward to the bandwidth upgrade for Old Crow," said Paul Doehle, Director of Information Systems for Vuntut Gwitchin Government. "Decisions we make for the future of our IT department and the path we take on providing IT services for our employees is dependent on adequate bandwidth. We would like to thank the Yukon government, CanNor, and Northwestel for supporting this project."
The federal government's investment for this project was made possible through CanNor's Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) program, which focuses on long-term economic growth, economic diversification and capacity building in the three territories.
The Government of Yukon is funding this initiative through Economic Development's Business and Industry Development Branch as it works towards improving the Yukon business environment through supporting the development of strategic infrastructure required for economic development.
Please visit these web sites to learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan and Canada's Northern Strategy.
For further information, please contact:
Office of the Honourable John Duncan
Michele-Jamali Paquette
Press Secretary
(819) 997-0002
Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor)
Erin Macpherson
Communications Advisor
(867) 667-3849
Government of Yukon - Department of Economic Development
Samantha Paterson
Economic Development Communications Manager
(867) 667-5387
Northwestel
Sunny Patch
Communications Manager
867-455-4245
Vuntut Development Corporation
Joe Linklater
867-966-3261 ext. 226
