Question Period Note: CANADA-BRITISH COLUMBIA BROADBAND PARTNERSHIP

What are the details of the Canada-British Columbia broadband partnership announced March 8, 2022?

• High-speed Internet access is essential for all Canadians, no matter where they live. That is why the Government of Canada has made billions of dollars available for rural and remote Internet infrastructure – including $2.75 billion under the Universal Broadband Fund.

• The Government of Canada is proud to collaborate with the Government of British Columbia to invest up to $830 million to connect all underserved households in the province.

• The government is committed to connecting 98% of Canadians by 2026. This can only be achieved through partnerships with other levels of government, the private sector, Indigenous groups, and other stakeholders.

• The Canada-British Columbia broadband partnership announced on March 8, 2022, will provide connectivity to approximately 115,000 households in British Columbia that do not currently have access to 50/10 Mbps Internet service.
• Government of Canada’s funding of $415 million comes from the Universal Broadband Fund, and Government of British Columbia funding of $415 million comes from the Connecting British Columbia program.
• The Government of Canada has announced other federal-provincial broadband partnerships with Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and Newfoundland.
• The Government of Canada is working hard with all provinces and territories to ensure that projects are announced across the country in the coming months.

• To date, the Universal Broadband Fund has announced more than $2 billion in funding to connect more than 900,000 households and more announcements are coming soon.

The $2.75 billion Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) will help ensure that 98% of Canadians will be connected to high-speed Internet by 2026, and 100% by 2030. The UBF includes a Rapid Response Stream for shovel-ready projects that can be completed quickly, $50 million for mobile projects that primarily benefit Indigenous peoples, and $750 million for large, high-impact projects.
Under the Rapid Response Stream (RRF) of the UBF, $15 million in UBF funding has been announced to connect 4,000 households.
Under the mobile stream, the Governments of Canada and British Columbia announced co-funding of $4.5 million total to provide complete mobile connectivity along BC’s Highway 16, also known as the “Highway of Tears”. The project was announced in April 2021 and is targeting completion in fall 2022.
This funding is included in the up to $415 million Government of Canada contribution to the Canada-British Columbia broadband partnership.
Across all government broadband programs since 2015, the Government of Canada has announced 38 projects in British Columbia with $135 million in funding to connect over 35,000 households.