People in more than 2,650 households will soon have better access to high-speed internet, as seven more Columbia Basin communities get closer to accessing online services made possible through additional funding from the Province and Columbia Basin Trust totaling $21.3 million.
“The Kootenays is one of B.C.’s most rugged and beautiful regions, and people there know high-speed internet is a necessity for learning, working and accessing vital services,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Citizens’ Services. “By expanding high-speed connectivity in the Columbia Basin, we’re giving people the tools they need to stay connected, grow local businesses and fully participate in today’s digital economy, all while remaining in the communities they call home.”
This expansion builds on the $82-million Connect the Basin initiative to bring improved internet access to more than 5,400 households throughout the Columbia Basin and Kootenays. The project is being led by Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trust.
“This investment helps close gaps in the Connect the Basin initiative and brings high-speed fibre-to-the-home infrastructure to communities that have long faced connectivity challenges,” said Johnny Strilaeff, President and CEO for Columbia Basin Trust. “Adding this infrastructure to work already underway strengthens the network residents rely on. We appreciate the Province’s commitment to this project and are pleased to advance reliable, affordable connectivity across the Basin.”
The Province is investing up to $17 million to enhance connectivity for communities in the Columbia Basin, including Valemount, Nakusp, New Denver, Rosebery, Salmo, Silverton and Slocan.
“Valemount is pleased Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation is expanding its Connect the Basin project with provincial funding,” said Owen Torgerson, Mayor, Valemount. “The expansion supports residents and businesses, fosters economic development, remote education and virtual healthcare, and betters the overall quality of life for Valemount and surrounding areas. The new last-mile fibre installations and upgrades to existing infrastructure bridges connectivity gaps and provides access to high-speed internet in the middle of everywhere.”
Connect the Basin is part of the Connecting British Columbia program which supports projects to expand high-speed internet access to rural and remote areas, levelling the playing field for people in British Columbia. The program’s provincial funding is administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust.
Since 2013, the Trust has activated 1,285 kilometers of fibre-optic cable across the Basin, connecting more than 6,400 rural Basin households and 56 communities to improved high-speed internet access.
Read the full press release from the Ministry of Citizens’ Services here.
