Staff
The governments of Ontario and Canada are investing up to $180 million to help bring ultra-high speed internet to homes and businesses in southwestern Ontario.
Canada and Ontario will each provide up to $90 million towards the total project cost of approximately $281 million. This investment is part of the new Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) project, which will expand access to broadband by delivering fibre optic coverage to over 300 communities with a total population of 3.5 million – spanning counties and municipalities in southwestern Ontario, as well as Caledon and Niagara.
The project will help southwestern Ontario communities and businesses better compete in global markets, attract new jobs, and improve quality of life. It will also allow individuals to use online resources to gain skills and experience.
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker says this is good news for his Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound riding.
“This is good news for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. I along with the local mayors, the county representatives, the CAOs, and the Chamber have been advocating for Broadband investment for a long time. The people in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound want and need stronger investments in broadband Internet and telecommunications so they can enjoy the same economic and social level playing field as their urban counterparts. This investment will help to create and sustain jobs and ensure our communities are economically viable going forward.”
According to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, a 10 per cent increase in household broadband penetration could accelerate economic growth by up to 1.5 per cent.
The SWIFT project is part of the New Building Canada Fund’s Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component – Small Communities Fund.
Through the Small Communities Fund, Ontario and the federal government are each providing $272 million over ten years to support infrastructure projects in communities with populations under 100,000.
The provincial government says it is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in the province’s history – about $160 billion over 12 years, which is supporting 110,000 jobs every year across the province, with projects such as hospitals, schools, roads, bridges, and transit. To learn more about infrastructure projects in your community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.
