Today, 93% of Canadian households have access to high-speed Internet, compared to 79% in 2014.
It’s significant progress, but we’re not done yet.
The federal and provincial governments agree that all Canadians deserve reliable and affordable high-speed Internet and mobile connectivity, regardless of where they live.
“Connectivity is an essential tool to access education and health care and to grow a business,” says Gudie Hutchings, Canada’s Minister of Rural Economic Development. “It also improves safety and provides peace of mind.”
About 90% of households in Alberta have access to reliable internet. This is ahead of some provinces, such as Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but behind others like Ontario and British Columbia.
The federal and provincial governments have thus announced an investment into bringing fast internet to more homes in the region.
The $112 million investment will provide reliable high-speed Internet access to more than 22,500 homes across 166 rural and remote communities throughout Alberta, according to Hutchings.
“We all know that Internet is no longer a luxury,” the minister stated this week. “It’s a necessity.”
The funding is part of an existing agreement between Canada and Alberta since 2022—a $3 billion nationwide commitment to connect 98% of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and 100% by 2030.
The Government of Alberta has its own goal of bringing reliable high-speed Internet access to every community in the province by the end of 2027 as part of the region’s Alberta Broadband Strategy.
“Improving access to high-speed Internet will level the playing field,” believes Nate Glubish, Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation. “I’m confident that we are on track to achieving our goal of connecting every single Alberta household to high-speed Internet by 2027.”
Canada’s Connectivity Strategy, released in 2019, defines “High-speed” internet as 50 megabits per second download rate and 10 Mbps upload.
Since 2015, the Government of Canada has invested more than $488 million in connectivity projects in Alberta.
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