CityWest and the provincial government is teaming up to connect communities such as the Oclucje of Nuchatlaht First Nation to high speed internet

More than 400 rural and remote households will have access to high-speed internet, including communities on the North Island.

Seven last-mile projects are being built and operated by the internet service provider, CityWest. Projects include Oclucje of Nuchatlaht First Nation on Vancouver Island, Oona River on the northern coast, Echo and Health Bay on Gilford Island, and Firvale in the Bella Coola valley.

“We’re helping people across the province to access employment, health care, education, and training by partnering with service providers to bring fibre-to-home connectivity to rural, remote and Indigenous communities,” said Diana Gibson, the minister of citizen services. “With access to high-speed internet, people living in the North Island, central and northern coast regions will be able to fully participate in the digital world from their homes and communities.”

Further, Strathcona Regional District, in collaboration with CityWest, is building a new fibre-transport link between Campbell River and Gold River to enhance the region’s transport capacity, which already includes capacity for the Connected Coast Network. The Connected Coast Network is roughly 2,810 kilometres of fibre connecting local communities. 

The province of BC has invested more than $1 million to connect coastal and remote communities to high-speed internet through the Connecting Communities BC program. The federal government has also invested more than $1 million in the project with its Universal Broadband Fund. CityWest is also contributing $1 million to make this happen. The First Nations Health Authority is also contributing to the projects in Health Bay (Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis), Echo Bay on Gilford Island and Tsatsisnukwomi Village on Harbledown Island. The contribution is $224,000. 

“By connecting rural and First Nations communities to high-speed internet, we also help the voices, ideas, and passions of the people of the North Island, and north and central B.C. coast succeed in helping build a more prosperous and resilient B.C. that stands on its own two feet,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation.