‘But the job is not done yet.’ Federal and provincial officials gather for announcement, Aug. 28, 2023. Photo credit: Dan Muys
This past Monday, various federal and provincial politicians gathered at Dyment’s Farm in Flamborough for an announcement regarding government support for increased internet access for rural communities in Southern Ontario.
The Canadian government is partnering with the province to provide over $219 million in combined funding to bring high-speed internet access to more than 66,000 households in over 300 Southern Ontario communities.
The project is in partnership with Rogers and is expected to connect residents with high-speed internet by the end of 2025.
The announcement is part of an existing broadband partnership between the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada that started in July 2021.
The goal of the partnership is to “support large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed internet access” to households across the province, particularly those in rural areas.
The joint federal-provincial investment totals more than $1.2 billion.
The federal government has a goal of ensuring 98 per cent of Canadians across the country have access to high-speed internet by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2030.
Meanwhile, the Government of Ontario is seeking to provide high-speed internet access to every community in the province by the end of 2025.
The federal government says that currently 93.5 per cent of Canadian households have access to high-speed internet.
Government of Ontario representatives present at Dyment’s Farm included the Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma and Flamborough-Glanbrook MPP Donna Skelly. Federal government representatives included Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas MP Filomena Tassi and Oakville MP Anita Anand.
Local Flamborough-Glanbrook MP Dan Muys was also on hand.
Skelly commented, “In today’s digital world, reliable access to internet service is crucial for work, education, healthcare, communication, and entertainment.”
“Our government has a bold plan to achieve what has become an absolute necessity for every Ontarian in every community across the province,” she continued.
Meanwhile, Muys says that the announcement is “a good start, but the job is not done yet.”
Muys adds that he has been advocating for better rural internet service in Parliament since he was elected in 2021.
He says that those living in rural Hamilton have been somewhat “ignored”, with surrounding municipalities receiving millions in funding while Flamborough, Glanbrook, and rural Upper Stoney Creek had not “seen anything since the small Universal Broadband Fund amount announced in July 2021 – over two years ago.”
He also notes that details on how much money is being allocated to each community and details for each community are not included, so he will be pursuing those specifics.
Nevertheless, he affirms that, overall, he is “optimistic.”
Muys also thanked residents for speaking up on the issue.
He says he received nearly 1,000 petition cards to his office in response to his internet access advocacy campaign and has heard from residents at the 20 Constituency Clinics he has been holding this summer across his riding of Flamborough-Glanbrook.
Hamilton-based communities that will benefit from the $219 million in funding include Ancaster, Binbrook, Branchton, Campbellville, Carlisle, Copetown, Dundas, Freelton, Grassie, Jerseyville, Kilbride, Lynden, Millgrove, Mount Hope, Pleasant View Survey, Rockton, Sheffield, Stoney Creek, Strabane, Troy, Waterdown, and Winona.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
