Thanks to a total investment of $6.1 million-made as part of Canada-Quebec Operation High Speed, which was announced on March 22-680 households in the Fjord-du-Saguenay RCM, that is in the municipalities of L'Anse-Saint-Jean, Petit-Saguenay, Rivière-Éternité and Saint-Félix-d'Otis, and in the city of Saguenay will have access to Cogeco high-speed Internet services by September 2022.
The announcement was made today by the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Quebec Lieutenant and Member of Parliament for Honoré-Mercier; Andrée Laforest, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Minister Responsible for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Region and Member of the National Assembly for Chicoutimi; Gilles Bélanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet) and Member of the National Assembly for Orford; François Tremblay, Member of the National Assembly for Dubuc; and Johanne Hinse, General Manager for Quebec and Vice-President of Programming and Community Relations at Cogeco.
Cogeco will receive a combined amount of $5.6 million from the two levels of government to support the deployment of high-speed Internet services to 680 households. The total cost of the project is $6.1 million. The investment announced will accelerate the deployment of reliable, high-performance infrastructure in the Fjord-du-Saguenay RCM.
Over the next few weeks, Cogeco will take an inventory of the targeted regions to ensure that no household will be left without service.
High-speed Internet services are considered essential today in a modern society like Quebec's. Access to high-performance, reliable and affordable Internet services is at the core of communities' economic and social development. The projects funded under Canada-Quebec Operation High Speed are a key part of the digital shift in Quebec and will promote access to telemedicine, distance learning, entertainment, online retail and telework.
Quotes
"It's inconceivable that in 2021, children aren't able to connect to their online courses or families feel pressure to move because they lack access to high-speed Internet. Canada-Quebec Operation High Speed is meeting an important need in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. I'm very proud of the collaboration between the federal government and the Quebec government that will help ensure every Quebecer has access to high-speed Internet by the fall of 2022."
- The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Quebec Lieutenant and Member of Parliament for Honoré-Mercier
"I'm delighted with this good news for our beautiful Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, which I share with my colleagues Nancy Guillemette, Éric Girard and François Tremblay. Once again, several municipalities in our region will be able to improve their high-speed Internet network capabilities. Our government is on track to deliver on the very important promise made to Quebecers about this essential service. We are continuing to work hard on this file so that all Quebecers will have access to high-speed Internet service by September 2022."
- Andrée Laforest, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Minister Responsible for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Region and Member of the National Assembly for Chicoutimi
"I'm proud to be joining my colleagues from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean to announce this major project. Cogeco is a valued partner in deploying reliable, efficient high-speed Internet services. Our goal of providing all Quebecers with access to high-speed Internet by September 2022 is ambitious, and today's announcement is another step in the right direction. We want to become a leader in connectivity."
- Gilles Bélanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet) and Member of the National Assembly for Orford
"Cogeco, through its subsidiary DERYtelecom, is well established in the Saguenay region, and I'm pleased by its commitment to expand its network. The main goal is to serve more households in four rural municipalities in our electoral district, as well as specific areas in the city of Saguenay. Today's announcement is another step toward better connectivity for all families in the greater Dubuc area by September 2022. I'm very proud of this key commitment being met as it will benefit the 13 municipalities I represent."
- François Tremblay, Member of the National Assembly for Dubuc
"We're proud to participate in this major project to provide households in the Fjord-du-Saguenay RCM with high-speed Internet access. The pandemic has amplified the need for families, workers, students and even businesses to have access to a robust and reliable network at affordable prices. Announcements like this one serve to reaffirm the values that we hold dear: to be at the heart of our communities, to connect them and to support them in their economic and social development. We're committed to accelerating the expansion of our network within the scheduled September 2022 time frame."
- Johanne Hinse, General Manager for Quebec and Vice-President of Programming and Community Relations, Cogeco
Quick facts
-
Operation High Speed will ensure connectivity for 150,000 households, notably through unprecedented agreements with six of the biggest telecommunications companies. This is made possible by an equal investment of $826.3 million from the governments of Canada and Quebec.
-
The Government of Canada has allocated billions of dollars to Internet infrastructure in rural and remote regions, including $2.75 billion as part of the Universal Broadband Fund, of which $1 billion comes from Budget 2021.
-
On March 9, 2021, the Government of Quebec announced that it was increasing its budget to more than $1 billion to accelerate the connection of thousands of Quebec households to high-speed Internet.
