Vancouver Island And Gulf Island Communities To See High-Speed Broadband Internet

More than 1,800 households in seven rural, remote, and Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island and three Gulf Island communities can soon look forward to high-speed broadband internet.

“Providing the same level of access, quality and opportunities in communities across B.C. is vital,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Citizens’ Services.

“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 B.C. closer to connecting every community in B.C. with high-speed internet access by 2027.”

More than 600 households in Forbidden Plateau near Comox Valley; Sproat Lake near Port Alberni; and Ross Road, including approximately 2.3 kilometres along Island Highway East in Nanoose Bay, will benefit from as much as $2.5 million in provincial funding through the Connecting British Columbia program.

Telus is also putting up as much as $2.2 million toward the approximately $4.7-million total cost of the project.

Edwin Grieve, electoral area C director for the  Comox Valley Regional District, says local connectivity had been a priority for a number of years, but became a bigger issue as residents began working from home as the COVID-19 pandemic began.