B.C. invests $3.8M to improve internet in 10 remote island communities

Saturna Island is pictured. (The Nature Trust of B.C.)

The B.C. government, alongside investments from the federal government and Telus, are improving access to high-speed internet in 10 remote communities on Vancouver Island and nearby Gulf Islands.

The province says it will fund up to $3.8 million to improve internet access and speeds to roughly 1,800 households across the 10 communities.

Up to $2.5 million of that funding will be going to a project in the Mid-Island area, with Telus providing another $2.2 million in funding, bringing the overall project budget to $4.7 million.

Some 600 households will benefit from the project, which will bring high-speed internet to the communities of Sprout Lake and Forbidden Plateau, as well as along a 2.3 kilometre stretch of Island Highway East in Nanoose Bay.

"Reliable, high-speed internet access for rural, remote and Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands will further bridge the digital divide and bring British Columbia closer to connecting every community in B.C. with high-speed internet access by 2027," said Lisa Bear, Minister of Citizens' Services, in a release Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the province has promised up to $1.3 million to bring high-speed internet to areas of the North Island and on three Gulf Islands.

The federal government has also promised $3.3 million in funding for internet in these areas, bringing the total project budget to $4.6 million.

About 1,200 households are expected to gain access to high-speed internet through the project in the North Island areas of Telegraph Cove, Holberg, Winter Harbour and Houpsitas 6 of the Kyuquot First Nation.

The three Gulf Island communities included in the project are Van Anda on Texada Island, as well as Galiano Island and Saturna Island.

"We all know that internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age – it’s a necessity," said Gudie Hutchings, federal Minister of Rural Economic Development, in the release.

"Access to fast, reliable internet helps rural Canadians by levelling the playing field to access essential services, like healthcare and education, participate in the digital economy, or simply connect with loved ones," she said.