A joint BC-Canadian government funding announcement of over $45 million will mean high speed internet for several BC coastal and First Nations communities.
The project will see 3.5 million metres of new subsea fibre optic cable connecting 154 communities between Prince Rupert and Vancouver, including Haida Gwaii.
Peter Lantin, elected President of the Haida Nation, says dial-up internet is a distant memory for Haida Gwaii residents, but slow, unreliable internet remains a fact of life.
Lantin says enhanced connectivity will allow for real-time monitoring of coastal waters by Guardian Watchmen, enhanced economic activity, and improved education opportunities.
The project won’t happen overnight. BC’s citizen’s services minister Jinny Sims says project managers have told her that the process will take approximately three years.
