First Nation communities in the North will soon have high-speed Internet after an announcement was made Friday afternoon.
An $81 million partnership between the federal and provincial government and Bell Alliant will ensure 26 Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities will have fibre optic internet access by 2012. NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy said when he first proposed the partnership a year ago people didn’t think it would be possible.
"It seemed so impossible, so remote. TO be part of the announcement a year later is amazing," Beardy said. "We will be part of the 21st century and I think that is very significant for my people."
The announcement was made at The Prince Arthur Hotel with provincial and federal poiliticians attending to celebrate the announcement. MP Greg Rickford (Kenora, Cons.) said 24 of the communities getting access are in his riding. He said bringing broadband access to isolated First Nations communities is just as important as standardized landing strips for air planes were in the 70s when they were built.
""This is right up there with it in a new age in a new era with new technology," said Rickford.
From healthcare to economic development, Rickford said the importance of the announcement could not be understated. Rickford said he spent six years in healthcare visiting those communities and seeing the "largely unreliable" equipment they used for internet access.
""I understand fully and completely their need to be fully modernized and integrated into all of the opportunities that frankly some of us not only have available in more urban parts of the country but take for granted," he said.
Employment training programs and online business development are just some of the ways Beardy hopes high-speed access will help younger generations in the communities.
"We’ll have better connections among ourselves and the global economy," Beardy said.
The project will span over 490,000 square kilometers. $32 million is from the Ontario government, $23.27 million from the federal and $26 million from Bell Alliant.
