Niagara Region communities share in broadband funding
The federal and provincial governments have announced a combined spend of more than $1.6 million to bring reliable high-speed internet to nearly 700 homes, farms and businesses in Niagara Region.
“Providing reliable internet access is especially important for rural communities to prosper in our increasingly digital world,” said Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre. “Today’s announcement will ensure that homes, businesses, and farms in the Niagara Region can connect to essential online services and enjoy the additional economic opportunities made available through high-speed internet.”
The governments have partnered with Southwest Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) Inc. to provide the communities of Chantler, Becketts Bridge and O'Reilly's Bridge with broadband infrastructure.
"We know reliable internet access is a gateway to growth in rural Ontario," said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. "This new expansion of rural broadband in the Town of Pelham will connect more families and businesses to high-speed internet. I know constituents in Niagara West will gladly welcome this new SWIFT project."
The contracts to expand broadband services in Niagara Region were awarded by SWIFT, a not-for-profit corporation, initiated by local municipalities to address connectivity in Southwestern Ontario.
“We are pleased to mark the successful completion of a 68-kilometre high-speed fibre-to-the-home project in the Niagara Region and are grateful for the ongoing support of the Governments of Ontario and Canada and our community partners as we continue to work together to expand high-speed internet service throughout the Region and across Southwestern Ontario,” said Gary McNamara, SWIFT Board Chair. “With the newly established fibre-optic network now in service, many more rural homes and businesses throughout the Town of Pelham and within the Township of Wainfleet can now benefit from having access to a fast and reliable internet connection.”
To date, more than $255 million has been invested by the governments of Canada and Ontario and the private sector to bring high-speed internet access to more than 63,000 homes and businesses in Southwestern Ontario through SWIFT by the end of 2023.