The municipality of Leamington, Ontario is next to receive increased broadband service to its homes, businesses, and farms.
By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com; Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
Continuing the plan to increase rural broadband service across the province, residents of Leamington in Essex County are next up to receive increased broadband access after the governments of Ontario and Canada each chipped in over $392,000.
It is expected that the infrastructure expansion to be completed by December of 2022 will increase access to fast, reliable high-speed internet to over 480 homes, farms, and businesses in Essex County.
Via partnership with Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) Inc., the project will help connect the community of Marentette Beach, in the municipality of Leamington, to the high-speed internet service it needs and deserves.
The governments of Canada and Ontario are each contributing more than $63 million to SWIFT through the New Building Canada Fund’s Provincial/Territorial Infrastructure Component – Small Communities Fund.
“Reliable broadband infrastructure is a necessity for Canadian families and businesses in this increasingly connected world,” said Irek Kusmierczyk, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion and Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.
“The start of construction of new fibre technology and additional network infrastructure in Essex County gets us one step closer to connecting all Canadians to high-speed internet by 2030,” added Kusmierczyk.
The Ontario government continues its plan to bring access to high-speed internet service to every community by 2025.
These connections will help farms and businesses attract new customers, grow operations, and create new jobs, while also enabling people to connect online to work, learn and access vital services.
“If rural Ontario is going to flourish, access to high-speed internet access will be a part of that gateway to growth," stated Trevor Jones, Member of Provincial Parliament for Chatham - Kent - Leamington and the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Lisa Thompson.
"This recent broadband expansion into the municipality of Leamington will give more households and businesses the ability to connect that they didn’t have before. This announcement will be key to the future success of our riding and for all of rural Ontario.”
The contract to expand broadband services in Essex County was awarded by SWIFT—a not-for-profit corporation initiated by local municipalities to address connectivity in Southwestern Ontario.
Over $255 million has been invested by the Governments of Canada and Ontario and the private sector to bring high-speed internet to more than 63,000 households and businesses in Southwestern Ontario through SWIFT by the end of 2025.
“SWIFT, in partnership with the federal and provincial governments, is committed to bringing greater access to high-speed internet connectivity across Southwestern Ontario to support small and rural underserved communities,” said Gary McNamara, SWIFT Board Chair. “Today we are pleased to mark the start of construction on a fibre-to-the-home network in Essex County that will soon provide more than 480 homes and businesses in the community of Marentette Beach with high-speed broadband service.”