Access to high-speed internet coming to Skwah First Nation in Chilliwack

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“Our community is among the Indigenous communities across Canada that are disproportionately affected by the lack of high-speed internet access,” said Chief Lara Mussell Savage, Sqwá (Skwah) First Nation. “This issue became more prevalent during the pandemic with the required at-home learning or remote working conditions faced by students or employees, and with a shift to e-health services. We at Sqwá (Skwah) First Nation are very pleased to be working together with Telus to support community values of self-determination through reliable connectivity via Telus Pure Fibre. This investment will provide our community with a better ability to access and support community priorities such as health, education, and employment programs and services.”

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Image: Skwah First Nation website / Skwah First Nation Chief Lara Mussell Savage says she welcomes this investment that will provide the Skwah First Nation community with a better ability to access and support community priorities such as health, education, and employment programs and services.

The B.C. government says this project is another step toward meeting the goal of connecting every rural, remote and Indigenous community in B.C. by 2027. Access to high-speed internet equips B.C. residents with the ability to further access government programs and supports, training and business opportunities and to better participate in the digital economy.

“Being close to connected communities is not the same as having the option to be connected to reliable high-speed internet in your home,” said Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack. “This project is going to fill important connectivity gaps in the region, and I am looking forward to more people having access to connectivity and all the services, opportunities and comforts that come with it.”

The provincial government has invested as much as $2.9 million through the Connecting British Columbia funding program, which is administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust. Telus Communications Inc. also invested $1.3 million to build new fibre-to-the-home infrastructure that provides access to gigabit-enabled high-speed internet, enabling broadband internet speeds surpassing 50 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads, and 10 Mbps for uploads. Construction is set to begin in early spring and is expected to be complete in August 2023.

“Telus is committed to ensuring everyone can thrive in our digital world, no matter where they live,” said Shazia Zeb Sobani, vice-president of Customer Network Implementation at Telus. “We are proud to work alongside Indigenous governments and the Government of British Columbia to connect an additional 624 households and businesses on eight Indigenous lands to our Pure Fibre network. This is part of our ongoing commitment to enable rural and Indigenous communities with the speeds and coverage they need to connect to the people and information that matter the most, operate businesses locally and compete globally, and access online services, like health care and education, from the comfort of home. We look forward to continuing to work alongside Indigenous governments on what is important to them in 2023 and beyond.”

In March 2022, the province announced that it had partnered with the federal government to provide as much as $830 million to expand high-speed internet services to connect all remaining rural and First Nations households in the province.