Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, in collaboration with Paul Calandra, Member of Provincial Parliament for Markham-Stouffville, unveiled a plan on Wednesday to increase high-speed Internet access across Ontario.
Both representatives, acting on behalf of Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, and Kinga Surma, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure, announced a combined federal and provincial funding amount of $54 million. This investment will see Rogers extend high-speed Internet to more than 20,000 homes across 83 underserved communities within Ontario.
This initiative bolsters an existing alliance between the governments of Ontario and Canada that had previously pledged support for large-scale, fibre-based projects. The partnership from July 2021, committed a joint investment exceeding $1.2 billion to bring high-speed Internet access for over 280,000 homes province-wide.
Robert Dépatie, President and Chief Operating Officer, Residential and Business, Rogers Communications, said the importance of the partnership in bridging connectivity gaps and noted that the move would “provide more families and businesses with the tools they need to succeed in today’s digital world.”
The recent announcement underpins the federal government’s ambitious aim to provide 98% of Canadians with access to high-speed Internet by 2026, and nationwide coverage by 2030. Likewise, this strategic investment propels the Ontario Government closer to its goal of equipping every community with reliable high-speed Internet by the end of 2025.
