Governments of Canada and Ontario invest over $61 million to bring high-speed internet access to more than 16,000 homes in Ontario

Rural communities to benefit from increased connectivity to high-speed internet

KENORA — All Canadians need reliable and affordable high-speed Internet, no matter where they live. The governments of Canada and Ontario are taking action to bring high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved communities.

Today, both federal and provincial governments announced over $61 million in combined funding for six projects by Bell Canada, the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre and Keewaytinook Okimakanak. This investment will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 16,000 homes in 47 rural Ontario communities and 3 First Nations communities in Northern Ontario.

“Access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet is a necessity for economic growth, education and social-well being within a community. Today’s announcement further reinforces that our government is investing in the economic development of Northern and Indigenous communities across the province,” said Greg Rickford, MPP for Kenora-Rainy River.   

This project being announced today is part of an existing partnership between Ontario and Canada. On July 29, 2021, the governments announced their partnership to support large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed internet access to more than 280,000 households and businesses across the province. This historic agreement was made possible by a joint federal-provincial investment totaling more than $1.2 billion.

Today’s announcement brings Ontario closer to achieving its goal of making high-speed internet accessible in every community across the province by the end of 2025.

Quick Fast

  • 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.
  • The Ontario government is investing nearly $4 billion to bring access to reliable high-speed internet to every community across the province by the end of 2025. This is the largest single investment in high-speed internet, in any province, by any government in Canadian history.
  • As of February 2023, Ontario has finalized agreements of more than $2.2 billion for nearly 200 high-speed internet and cellular projects across the province.

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