High-speed internet access is more essential than ever to keep Canadians connected. Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, highlighted that the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has invested more than $2 billion in eight internet service providers. This investment is supporting high-speed internet projects, connecting 430,000 more rural and remote Canadians households.
Through the CIB’s partnerships with Canadian internet service providers and public sector partners, this $2 billion investment is already expanding and accelerating the deployment of high-speed internet in unserved and underserved communities across Canada.
The CIB’s partnerships are connecting Indigenous, rural, and remote regions to high-speed internet services which would otherwise not be commercially viable due to the high cost of connection per household in these areas. The lack of required infrastructure and low population density often mean high-speed expansion is financially unfeasible for rural and remote communities.
The federal government is building a fairer Canada, where every generation can reach their full potential—and high-speed internet access is essential to participate in today’s digital economy.
Quotes
“Everyone deserves access to high-speed internet regardless of where you live. Our government is helping to expand high-speed internet so that all Canadians have better access to the online services they need. No matter where in our great, vast country Canadians live, it is essential to reaching their full potential.”
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
“Providing high-speed and reliable internet access to rural, remote, and Indigenous communities is incredibly important as it helps ensure that they can continue growing from strength to strength in our increasingly digital world. CIB’s collaboration with Canadian internet service providers is doing just that. Today’s announcement marks an incredible milestone towards ensuring that all communities from coast to coast to coast have the same, equal, opportunities for success.”
The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
“Reliable, high-speed internet is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Your federal government is making sure internet is available in small, rural, remote and Indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast. This ensures that every community, every business, and every person can grow their potential in this digital world.”
The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
“The deployment of new, reliable broadband services to remote locations in Canada will improve many facets of people’s everyday life. It is an absolute necessity for Canadians to fully participate in the digital economy and to access health care, education services and more. We are proud to play our part and contribute to better connecting communities.”
Ehren Cory, CEO, Canada Infrastructure Bank
Quick Facts
- The CIB’s financing solutions allow high-speed internet access to expand at a quicker pace while enabling Indigenous and rural customers to benefit from the same services as urban counterparts.
- Complementary grant funding provided by the Province of Ontario’s Accelerated High-Speed Internet Program and Government of Canada’s Universal Broadband Fund have also played a role in the deployment of new projects.
- In 2016, 84 per cent of Canadians had access to high-speed internet. By 2022, this figure increased to almost 94 per cent.
- This has been possible in part because of a significant increase in access in rural areas, moving from 39 per cent to 67 per cent over this period.
- The CIB’s investments are part of a suite of Government of Canada programs to support high-speed internet access for all Canadians, especially in rural and remote communities, including the $3.2 billion Universal Broadband Fund and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s Broadband Fund.
- The Government of Canada remains committed to its target of ensuring 98 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed internet by 2026 and 100 per cent of Canadians by 2030.