Residents in more than 20 communities in the townships of Essa, Oro-Medonte and Springwater should be surfing the internet at speeds equal to those of their urban counterparts within the next two years.
In mid-July, the federal and provincial governments announced $54 million in combined funding to bring high-speed internet access to more than 20,000 homes in 83 underserved communities across Ontario.
About 25 per cent of those communities identified as underserved are in Essa, Springwater and Oro-Medonte. They are: Angus, Anten Mills, Baxter, Baywood Park, Craighurst, Elmvale, Fergus Hill Estates, Forest Home, Hillsdale, Horseshoe Valley, Ivy, Midhurst, Minesing, Moonstone, Oro Lea Beach, Oro Park, Phelpston, Prices Corner, Shanty Bay, Thornton, and Simcoeside.
Officials from all three townships were happy to hear the news.
“Access to high-speed internet is critical to ensuring residents and businesses are able to thrive in today's digital age,” said Springwater Mayor Jennifer Coughlin. “As this project unfolds, we look forward to the positive impacts it will have on our community.”
Approximately 2,300 homes in Springwater will be connected through the program.
Jenny Legget, communications officer for Oro-Medonte Township, said the new initiative “ensures reliable internet for all residents.”
In Oro-Medonte, almost 3,500 homes will be connected.
Michael Mikael, manager of public works for Essa, echoed Coughlin’s and Legget’s sentiment and noted that almost 2,000 homes in Essa will benefit.
“We haven’t had a formal presentation from Rogers yet, but from what I’ve been told we will be the third township (after Oro-Medonte and Springwater) to have work completed and we know our residents are looking forward to it,” he said.
Increasing internet accessibility is part of Canada’s Connectivity Strategy and features two main objectives: that all Canadians have access to broadband at speeds of at least 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) download/10 Mbps upload, and mobile wireless coverage is available where Canadians live and work, and along major road corridors.
The work is being done by Rogers, which was subject to a three-stage assessment process — including eligibility screening, essential criteria and comparative criteria — prior to being granted the contract.
In a presentation to Oro-Medonte council, Rogers laid out a plan where construction would take two years and would be complete sometime in 2025.
Rogers noted in its presentation a number of benefits residents would notice, including video calling, online schooling, remote works of all kinds, streaming services, and cloud computing. Rogers has advised that the majority of the construction will be underground and most of the construction will be plowed or drilled.
While neither Essa nor Springwater has had a formal presentation at this stage, Essa Township’s Mikael said he was advised by the project consultant that the timeline for completion would be two to three years.
