Indigenous communities between Yale and Ruby Creek no longer need to worry about poor wifi after gaining access to reliable, high-speed broadband internet services.
Announced Wednesday morning (June 28), more than 850 households in 11 rural, remote and Indigenous communities now have access to faster internet services, with new network infrastructure being built to serve residents in the communities of Dogwood Valley, Squeah and Yale, as well as the Indigenous communities of Yale First Nation, Chawathil First Nation and Sq’ewá:lxw (Skawahlook) First Nation.
“Our community has several ongoing strategic initiatives in progress, and internet connectivity has been a missing piece in Chawathil’s growth and in our ability to operate in the digital age,” said Chief Norman Florence, Chawathil First Nation. “We were on dial-up and to stay competitive and fully execute on our long-term strategy, we needed to upgrade our Nation’s access to the best high-speed connectivity available. Between participating in virtual meetings and sharing large land files, high-speed internet is necessary for all these basic government needs today.”
Due to the new infrastructure, the communities can now access internet speeds of more than 50 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads.
The faster internet is the result of a $3.9 million project, which is part of the Province’s priority of providing high-speed connectivity for all British Columbians. To ensure this, the Province partnered up with the federal government March 2022 “to provide as much as $830 million for high-speed internet service expansion to all remaining rural and First Nation households in B.C. by 2027.”
Around $2.9 million has been invested by the Province through the Connecting British Columbia program, administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust, for the project, with Telus Communications Inc. contributing around $1 million. The investment “is part of the StrongerBC initiative under B.C.’s Economic Recovery Plan to build the economy with an eye toward inclusive growth for communities throughout B.C. Connecting Indigenous communities is also a commitment under recommendation 4.36 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan.”
“The completion of this project takes us another step closer to our goal of connecting all communities to high-speed internet by 2027 so people anywhere in B.C. can access learning, jobs and services, like health care, as well as a wealth of local and global economic opportunities,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Citizens’ Services. “Connectivity for these 11 communities provides a foundation for community growth, supporting people with the option to stay and invest in the communities they call home.”
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