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McGuinty Government
putting Huron County in the fast lane -
August 28, 2007
Provides Funding To 18 Southern Municipalities For Broadband
Access
SEAFORTH – Residents and businesses in Huron County will soon have
access to high-speed Internet services thanks to an investment of up to
$850,000 from the McGuinty government, Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell
announced today.
“This is wonderful news for both the residential and business sectors in
Huron County” said Mitchell. “Having access to broadband Internet will
give our community the opportunity to fully participate in the knowledge
economy.”
Rural Connections…The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership
Program is a one-time, $10-million initiative. Following an application
and review process, 18 municipalities that are ready to implement and
sustain broadband capability in their communities will receive funding
to help with infrastructure and implementation costs. The program is a
joint effort between the ministries of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs, Government Services, and Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
“The Ontario government supports rural municipalities and recognizes
that broadband access in these communities is vital to the prosperity of
their economies,” said Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs. “By investing $10 million in Rural Connections, the
Ontario government is investing in the future of rural Ontario.”
“This funding will allow municipalities to install broadband in their
communities and also conduct research into the sustainability and use of
broadband by residents, businesses and the whole community,” said Gerry
Phillips, Minister of Government Services.
The Ontario government will fund up to one-third of the cost of
qualifying broadband projects to a maximum of $1 million. The remainder
of the funding will come from the municipalities and their project
partners.
“The Rural Connections initiative will see these municipalities and
their project partners work together to ensure that small and
medium-sized businesses in their communities will have access to
broadband technology,” said Harinder Takhar, Minister of Small Business
and Entrepreneurship. “Broadband capability will allow rural businesses
to grow and compete in markets across the country and around the world.”
“We are very pleased that 18 rural municipalities will be receiving
funding to implement broadband capability in their communities,” said
Doug Reycraft, President of the Association of Municipalities of
Ontario. “Provincial funding for broadband is an important investment
that helps provide rural citizens and businesses the opportunity to
thrive and prosper in their communities.”
For more information, visit www.ontario.ca/rural or call 1-888-588-4111.
This is just one more example of how, working together, Ontarians have
achieved results in rural Ontario. Other examples include:
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Investing $33.1 million in 119 projects through
the Rural Economic Development Program since October 2003
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Investing $520 million over 12 years in the
Ontario Ethanol Growth Fund to expand ethanol production and use in
Ontario, and to advance Ontario's research and innovation efforts in
alternative renewable fuels
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Enhancing the educational experience of rural
students by providing specialized programming utilizing community
and local resources, a new farming and rural major within the
Specialist High Skills Major, and new rural and agricultural related
cooperative education courses.
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Contacts:
Carol Mitchell, MPP
Huron-Bruce
519-482-5630 |
