B.C. promises $5.5M for improved internet on Denman Island, Hornby Island
Faster internet connection is coming to Denman Island and Hornby Island, the province announced Thursday.
The B.C. government has earmarked up to $3.26 million to upgrade internet services on Denman Island, while another $2.38 million has been reserved for improving internet access on Hornby Island.
"We are moving toward a future where people in communities up and down the coast have the same level of internet services being offered in urban centres like Vancouver and Victoria," said B.C. Minister of Citizens' Services Lisa Beare in a statement Thursday.
Approximately 1,350 households are expected to benefit from the internet upgrades on both islands, according to the province.
Health care is also expected to improve once the projects complete.
"Our staff often work in isolation in empty or marginal pockets of internet and cellular reception," said Lori Nawrot, executive director of the Hornby and Denman Community Health Care Society.
"Improved service will make our jobs safer and expand our options for online training and certification, crucial for the recruitment of new staff," she said.
The province adds that residents on Denman Island and Hornby Island will also have access to direct fibre connection once the "connected coast" internet project wraps up.
The $45.4 million project is centred on the construction of a subsea fibre-optic network in the Strathcona Regional District, which will also include access points along B.C.'s coast.
The connected coast project is being funded by both the provincial and federal governments, with access points planned for the Gulf Islands, Haida Gwaii and around Vancouver Island.
The province did not provide a timeline Thursday for when the internet improvement projects would be completed for Denman Island and Hornby Island.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.