Government of Canada to invest $1.6M to bring internet to hundreds of Halton homes
Published May 12, 2021 at 4:02 pm
It was recently announced that the Government of Canada will be investing $1.6 million to bring high-speed Internet to 324 more homes in Halton.
Through the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) Rapid Response Stream, the Government of Canada is taking action to keep Canadians connected by providing high-speed Internet; something that is important now more than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, reliable internet is crucial for working and learning from home.
The funding announcement was made on May 12 by Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development.The $1.6 million in federal funding for Standard Broadband will bring high-speed Internet to rural residents of Haltonville and Moffat and will connect 324 households who are underserved in Halton Region.
“Today is once again a really important day for so many of our neighbours here in Halton. Fast and reliable Internet is essential for full participation in modern society. Rural households in Nassagaweya deserve the same access to high-speed broadband as city residents,” said Adam Van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton.
The Universal Broadband Fund, launched on November 9, 2020, was approved within six months of its formal launch and is now a $2.75-billion program.
Projects funded under the UBF and other public and private investments will assist in connecting 98 per cent of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026. Additionally, it will help to achieve the national target of 100 per cent connectivity by 2030.
This funding announcement also builds on the Government of Canada’s progress to improve critical infrastructure in the Province of Ontario.
“Working from home, taking part in online learning and accessing telehealth services are all normal, daily needs that rely on connectivity. Many rural residents are also farmers, business people and entrepreneurs who depend on reliable online access to the global economy to put food on the table,” concluded Van Koeverden.
The federal government has invested over $2.85 billion in over 4,060 infrastructure projects in Ontario communities with a population of fewer than 100,000 people since 2015.
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