Kinmount, Burnt River areas to benefit from new high speed internet

Federal money aims to help rural Canadians connect at high speeds

The Kinmount and Burnt River areas will benefit from an influx of federal cash to ensure more high speed internet connectivity in rural areas of the country.

Through the Universal Broadband Fund’s (UBF) Rapid Response Stream, the Government of Canada is taking immediate action to get people living in rural and remote communities connected to high-speed Internet, according to a media release.

Today, the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, announced more than $5.3 million in funding for Bell Canada, Golden Rural High Speed and HuronTel to bring high-speed Internet to 1,662 households in rural Ontario. Communities that will benefit from these projects are Alberton, Bogies Beach, Burnt River, Caledon Village, Glen Orchard, Jerseyville, Juddhaven, Kinmount, Minett, Mount Pleasant, Port Carling, Port Sandfield and Tower Manor.

Today’s announcement builds on the Government of Canada’s progress toward making sure that 98 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed Internet by 2026. As we work to rebuild from the pandemic, the Government of Canada will continue to make investments in infrastructure to build strong communities and a more competitive and resilient Canada for everyone.

Helena Jaczek, minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for southern Ontario, said “Today’s announcement is great news for the people of southern Ontario. High-speed Internet access is an essential tool that has only been made more vital due to the pandemic. Our government understands that it is critical to connect Canadians, especially in rural and remote regions, and we will continue to make investments that connect Canadians across the country.”

Quick facts

• Canada’s Connectivity Strategy aims to provide all Canadians with access to Internet speeds of at least 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download / 10 Mbps upload.
• The Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) is a $2.75 billion investment by the Government of Canada designed to help connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and achieve the national target of 100% connectivity by 2030. Only the hardest-to-reach households may take until 2030 to get connected.
• To date, 171 projects supported through the UBF’s Rapid Response Stream have been announced. These projects will bring high-speed Internet to more than 80,000 households in rural and remote communities across Canada.
• The UBF is part of a suite of federal investments to improve high-speed Internet. Find out more on the High-speed Internet for all of Canada
• Since 2015, Government of Canada funding has supported projects to bring improved Internet speeds to over 1.2 million households in rural and remote communities across Canada.