Connecting More Homes & Businesses in the Dufferin-Caledon to Broadband

August 6, 2021

GARAFRAXA WOODS – Construction of broadband infrastructure has now begun in Dufferin County, which will soon connect more than 250 homes and businesses to fast, reliable internet service to help create more economic and educational opportunities in rural, remote and underserved areas of the county.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario each committed more than $470,000 to fund broadband expansion projects that will deliver fast, reliable internet service in the communities of Garafraxa Woods, Marsville, Orton, Prices Corner and Craigsholme,

“I have been a long-time advocate for universal internet access and through this investment, I am happy to see that we are one step closer to achieving this goal,” said Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph. “I am proud of the work our government has done, in collaboration with our partners, to work towards our goal of ensuring all Canadian homes and businesses across Canada are connected and have access to high-speed internet. It is our government’s priority for each and every Canadian to have quick, reliable internet service, so that they may have access to essential services that are critical to ensuring the health, safety, and wellbeing of their families.”

“The pandemic has proven that access to high speed internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity for all Ontarians,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Families need internet to do their work and for school and businesses need broadband to stay connected and compete in a global marketplace. These projects in The Town of Caledon and Dufferin County are important steps forward in our government’s plan to connect every community in Ontario to high speed internet by 2025.”

In addition to this construction progress, broadband expansion has now been completed in the communities of Mount Wolfe, Albion and Centreville Creek, where more than 270 residents and businesses are now able to access fast, reliable internet service. This fibre-optic network will bring high-speed internet access to more than 840 homes and businesses in the Town of Caledon when construction is completed in March 2022.

“At a time when people are depending more on broadband and having access to the internet, I am pleased to see construction to begin for several SWIFT projects in Dufferin,” said Sylvia Jones, MPP Dufferin-Caledon. “It’s essential that we continue to expand access to broadband in our community as reliable high-speed internet has become a vital tool for use by residents and businesses on a daily basis.”

The contracts to expand fibre-optic broadband services in the Town of Caledon and Dufferin County were awarded by Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) Inc, a not-for-profit corporation initiated by local municipalities to address connectivity in Southwestern Ontario. To date, 5,700 households and businesses in Southwestern Ontario have received access to improved broadband through SWIFT.

Efforts continue to bridge the gaps in broadband access in Southwestern Ontario, as part of a combined public and private sector investment of more than $255 million to bring fast, reliable and affordable internet to thousands of homes and businesses. This will allow communities to attract new development, strengthen local economies and create more well-paying jobs and opportunities in rural Ontario.

QUICK FACTS

  • The governments of Canada and Ontario are each contributing more than $63 million to SWIFT through the New Building Canada Fund’s Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component – Small Communities Fund of the Investing in Canada plan.
  • Fibre-to-the-home broadband connections refer to the use of fibre optic cable to deliver the fastest reliable Internet service to homes and businesses.
  • SWIFT Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation initiated by the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus to address connectivity in Southwestern Ontario that will support the critical expansion of broadband to underserved areas.

·         The 2021 Ontario Budget commits a historic new investment of $2.8 billion in broadband infrastructure to ensure that every community in the province will have access to reliable broadband by 2025. This brings the Province’s total investment to nearly $4 billion over six years. This proactive approach is the largest single investment in broadband, in any province, by any government in Canadian history.

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