More households on Vancouver Island and on nearby Gulf Islands will have access to high-speed internet, according to the B.C. government.<\/p>\n
Three new projects will bring high-speed internet to 750 households on southern Vancouver Island, Piers Island and Texada Island, with funding coming from the provincial and federal governments, as well as other partners.<\/p>\n
A total of 500 households on southern Vancouver Island \u2013 in the Jordan River, Port Renfrew and Pacheedaht First Nations areas \u2013 will be getting the high-speed internet, as well as 129 households on Piers Island and 125 households on Texada Island.<\/p>\n
The three projects will cost millions of dollars to complete, with the province contributing $4.2 million and the federal government providing $3.9 million.<\/p>\n
Internet provider CityWest is also pitching in $476,116 for the two projects on Texada and Piers islands \u2013 while Telus is contributing $655,922 for the project on Vancouver Island \u2013 and the First Nation Health authority is contributing $664,284 for the project in the Pacheedaht First Nation.<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s high-speed internet expansion<\/p>\n
The trio of projects are part of the federal government\u2019s goal of having high-speed internet available to 100 per cent of Canadian households by 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n As of Friday, roughly 95.8 per cent of all households in B.C. have access to high-speed internet speeds of 50 megabits per second (Mbps), and the province estimates that number to grow to 97.8 per cent by 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThis investment marks a meaningful step forward in supporting First Nations and Island communities by strengthening access to essential services like health care,\u201d said Diana Gibson, B.C. minister of citizens\u2019 services and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, in a statement Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cBy extending reliable digital infrastructure to households, we are helping to create safer, healthier and more resilient communities across the province,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The province says access to high-speed internet also levels the playing field for businesses and students pursuing digital education.<\/p>\n