Communities to benefit from increased connectivity to high-speed Internet
March 2, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario
All Canadians need reliable and affordable high-speed Internet, no matter where they live. The governments of Canada and Ontario are taking action to bring high-speed Internet access to unserved and underserved communities.
Today, Paul Chiang, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion and Tony Van Bynen, Member of Parliament for Newmarket—Aurora, on behalf of the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, together with Amarjot Sandhu, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure, on behalf of the Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure, and Dawn Gallagher Murphy, Member of Provincial Parliament for Newmarket—Aurora, announced more than $48 million in combined federal and provincial funding for a project by YorkNet, a corporation owned by the Regional Municipality of York, to bring high-speed Internet access to over 3,800 homes in 31 Ontario communities.
This project announced today is part of an existing partnership between Ontario and Canada. On July 29, 2021, the governments announced their partnership to support large-scale, fibre-based projects that will provide high-speed Internet access to more than 280,000 rural and remote households across the province. This historic agreement was made possible by a joint federal-provincial investment totalling more than $1.2 billion.
Today's announcement builds on the Government of Canada's progress toward ensuring that 98 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed Internet by 2026, and 100% by 2030. The announcement also brings the Government of Ontario closer to achieving its goal of bringing reliable high-speed Internet access to every community by the end of 2025.
"We all know that Internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age—it's a necessity. Access to fast, reliable Internet helps rural Canadians by levelling the playing field to access essential services like health care and education, participate in the digital economy, or simply connect with loved ones. Our government will continue to work side by side with our partners to achieve our connectivity targets and ensure every Canadian, no matter where they live, has access to high-speed Internet by 2030."
— The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development
"High-speed Internet service is essential to the success of everyone living and working in rural communities across Ontario. Today's investment will help create jobs, improve access to health care and online learning services, and keep people connected to their family, friends and loved ones. We will continue to make investments like these to help connect every Ontarian to the high-speed Internet they need."
— The Honourable Paul Chiang, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
"Our government is making significant progress on our plan to bring reliable high-speed internet access to every community by the end of 2025. Through this project, we are expanding high-speed internet access to more communities across York Region. It will ensure that everyone in these communities will have access to critical health services and give them the ability to learn and work online, connect with loved ones, and participate in the agriculture sector.
– The Honourable Kinga Surma, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure
"Thanks to a $48 million joint investment from the governments of Canada and Ontario as part of the Universal Broadband Fund Program, residents throughout York Region will soon have better access to reliable high-speed internet. Internet access provides our residents with the ability to work and learn from home. It is also essential for access to vital health care services. Our government is committed to doing everything we can to bring high-speed internet access to all communities across the province by the end of 2025."
— Dawn Gallagher Murphy, Member of Provincial Parliament for Newmarket—Aurora
"On behalf of York Regional Council, I extend our appreciation to the Government of Canada and Government of Ontario for their support and commitment to help York Region improve access to high-speed broadband across our communities. Through our own dark-fibre network, operated and managed by YorkNet, we are building an affordable, reliable and sustainable network across York Region that also supports our regional operations. These generous contributions will help the region expand its network and target thousands of underserved homes by 2025. Thank you to our funding partners who share our collective goal of creating equitable access to high-speed Internet, an essential service in today's new digital world."
— Wayne Emmerson, York Region Chairman and CEO
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 $3.225 billion investment by the Government of Canada designed to help provide high-speed Internet access to 98 per cent of Canadians by 2026 and achieve the national target of 100 per cent access by 2030.
Today, 93.5 per cent of Canadian households have access to high-speed Internet or are targeted to receive access through existing program commitments, compared to just 79% in 2014.
On July 29, 2021, a Canada-Ontario broadband partnership was announced. This agreement will bring high-speed Internet access to more than 280,000 households across Ontario, with a total investment of more than $1.2 billion, co-funded equally by both levels of government.
The Ontario government is investing nearly $4 billion to bring access to reliable high-speed Internet to every community across the province, by the end of 2025. This is the largest single investment in high-speed Internet, in any province, by any government in Canadian history.
As of February 2023, Ontario has finalized agreements of more that $2.2 billion for nearly 200 high-speed Internet and cellular projects across the province.
