Thanks to a $7.7 million joint investment made as part of Canada-Quebec Operation High Speed, 690 households in the municipalities of Sainte-Françoise, Sainte-Rita, Saint-Guy, Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, Saint-Clément and Saint-Médard will have access to Cogeco high-speed Internet services by September 2022.
The announcement was made today by the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie-Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine; Gilles Bélanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet); and Johanne Hinse, Vice-President of Programming and Community Relations at Cogeco Connexion.
Cogeco will receive $6.3 million to support the deployment of high-speed Internet services to 690 households. The total cost of the project is $7.7 million. Cogeco is currently taking inventory to confirm the exact number of households that currently do not have access to high-speed Internet and will be covered by the deployment of services.
High-speed Internet services are essential in a modern society like Quebec's. Access to high-performance, reliable and affordable Internet services is at the core of communities' economic and social development. The projects funded under Canada-Quebec Operation High Speed are a key part of the digital shift in Quebec and will promote access to telemedicine, distance learning, entertainment, online retail and telework.
Quotes
"This is excellent news for the Les Basques RCM, the Bas-Saint-Laurent region and rural Quebec as a whole. These last few years, and especially these last few months, have shown us how essential high-speed Internet access has become for our communities, not only for bringing people together virtually but also for working, studying, accessing health services and doing business. Our government understands that it is urgent and vital to connect all communities in Quebec and Canada. We will continue to invest and partner with the Government of Quebec to ensure each household has access to high-speed Internet."
- The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie-Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine
"I know that the municipalities of Sainte-Françoise, Sainte-Rita, Saint-Guy, Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, Saint-Clément and Saint-Médard have been waiting for this announcement. I am pleased to be able to reassure elected officials and citizens who have been worried. Cogeco is a valued partner in deploying reliable and effective high-speed Internet services, and what's more, the project will be completed by September 2022. This is excellent news for the Les Basques RCM."
- Gilles Bélanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet)
"Supporting communities and helping families connect to a robust, world-class network is Cogeco's priority. We want to be there for our clients and offer them the very best. Announcements like this one serve to reaffirm the values that we hold dear: to be at the heart of our communities, to connect them and to support them in their economic and social development."
- Johanne Hinse, Vice-President of Programming and Community Relations at Cogeco Connexion
Quick facts
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On March 9, 2021, the Government of Quebec announced that it was increasing its budget to more than $1 billion to accelerate the connection of thousands of Quebec households to high-speed Internet.
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On March 22, 2021, the governments of Quebec and Canada launched Operation High Speed. The Connected Regions and Phase I components are targeting 148,000 households, for a combined investment of $826.3 million. Phase II, launched on July 21, is targeting 18,2000 more households, in addition to speeding up the deployment to 34,500 homes targeted by the previous rounds of funding, for an investment of $94 million. All the projects funded under Operation High Speed must be completed by September 2022.
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The Government of Canada has allocated billions of dollars to Internet infrastructure in rural and remote regions, including $2.75 billion as part of the Universal Broadband Fund, of which $1 billion comes from Budget 2021.
