Rimbey among over 50 Alberta communities to receive broadband funding

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The provincial government says this announcement is part of Alberta’s Broadband Strategy, a historic $390-million commitment over four years to improve access to high-speed internet in rural, remote and Indigenous communities. Alberta’s government also thanks the federal government for their matching funding commitments. Together, the governments of Canada and Alberta are said to have committed $780 million to eliminating the digital divide in Alberta.

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“Improving access to high-speed internet is one of the most powerful things we can do to support rural, remote and Indigenous communities across Alberta,” said Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta. “A reliable internet connection unlocks access to the essential services we rely on every day, supporting everything from online learning to better home health care. Today’s announcement is just the first of many to come and represents another step towards our goal of ensuring universal connectivity for all families and businesses in Alberta.”

“We all know that internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age – it’s a necessity,” added Gudie Hutchings, federal Minister of Rural Economic Development. “We need to close the connectivity gap and ensure that every nook and cranny of Alberta has access to reliable high-speed Internet. This announcement to connect over 10,400 households, including more than 2,700 Indigenous households, is great news for Albertans.”

“This announcement brings hope to thousands of Albertans who live in some of our province’s most underserved rural communities,” notes Nate Horner, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development. “We all know that many of the educational and economic opportunities of the future are found online, and this funding for better broadband will help our rural communities seize these opportunities, which will go a long way in helping them attract newcomers to sustain and grow, and allow our farmers to compete on the world stage.”

Alberta government quick facts

The communities planned to benefit from improved internet speeds include:

o Arcadia (Sucker Creek)

o Brocket (Piikani Nation)

o Brant

o Bay Tree

o Blueberry Mountain

o Bonanza

o Bigstone Cree Nation

o Bigstone Cree (Wabasca No.166)

o Bigstone Cree (Wabasca No.166B)

o Bigstone Cree (Wabasca No.166C)

o Bigstone Cree (Wabasca No.166D)

o Big Horn 144A (7264)

o Bluffton

o Cayley

o Carmangay

o Champion

o Cluny

o Driftpile

o Enilda

o Ensign

o Faust

o Gift Lake

o Gordondale

o Guy

o Gleichen

o Herronton

o High Prairie

o Horse Lake First Nation

o Jean Côté

o Joussard

o Kinuso

o Kirkcaldy

o Little Bow Resort

o Mossleigh

o Namaka

o Queenstown

o Rainbow Lake

o Rimbey

o Swan River First Nation

o Salt Prairie

o Sunset House

o Shouldice

o Siksika Nation

o Travers

o Tsuut’ina Nation

o Viewmar Estates

o Vulcan

o Wabasca-Desmarais

o Watino

o Webster

o Wanham

o Whitburn

o Woking

• Alberta’s Broadband Strategy is expected to generate up to 1,500 jobs during infrastructure deployment.
• Within three years of achieving universal coverage and adoption of services, the following economic outcomes are expected:

o Up to $1.7 billion in annual GDP growth.

o Up to five per cent GDP growth in the agricultural sector resulting from adoption of agricultural technologies.

o Up to 2,000 long-term service industry jobs may be created in rural communities.

o Up to 40,000 Albertans without access to a primary health-care provider may have improved access to telehealth, and the cost to deliver those services will be reduced.

o More than 120,000 students will have improved access to remote education.

• Data analyzed during development of the Alberta Broadband Strategy estimated that:

o About 489,000 Albertans living in 201,000 households lack access to federal target speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps) downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads.

o About 80 per cent of Indigenous communities and 67 per cent of rural and remote communities do not have access to reliable, high-speed internet.

o None of the eight Metis Settlements located in Alberta can access federal target speeds.

NDP Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Critic Heather Sweet issued the following statement in response to the province announcing broadband funding:

“Access to high-speed, affordable internet is essential for building a more resilient rural economy and creating jobs.

“Despite repeated promises for over a year to deliver funding, this comes too late to get shovels in the ground for this year’s construction season and is only a portion of the amount required to provide universal access to high-speed internet. This means hundreds of thousands of Albertans without access to high-speed internet will have to wait even longer.

“An NDP government will act quickly to deliver high-speed internet to every corner of the province within our first mandate.”