The Government of Canada is ensuring that rural communities have the tools and opportunities they need to build back better.
Today, the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development, concluded a trip to British Columbia and Alberta, where she traveled as part of her ongoing discussions and engagement to meet with important rural partners, including Indigenous leaders, the BC Economic Development Association, and the Rural Municipalities Association of Alberta. The priorities and issues discussed in these meetings will help apply a rural lens to federal policies and programs to support economic recovery and build on the resilience of rural Canada.
In British Columbia, Minister Hutchings met with Lheidli T'enneh First Nation Chief Dolleen Logan and leaders at an event hosted by Rogers Communications in Prince George to discuss the progress of cellular coverage along the entire route of Highway 16, also known as the "Highway of Tears," from Prince Rupert to Prince George. She then travelled to Mission to announce a historic collaboration with the province of British Columbia to provide up to $830 million toward connecting all remaining rural households in the province to high-speed Internet with a total funding commitment of $415 million from both the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia.
Minister Hutchings then travelled to Alberta to announce up to $780 million toward connecting underserved households in that province, with a total funding commitment of $390 million from both the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta.
These announcements were made as part of the Government of Canada's Universal Broadband Fund, which aims to connect 98 per cent of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026, and all Canadians by 2030.
