Connected to the World...

Generally, if one chooses to live on an island there is already an understanding of what that means. In fact, it is often that very feeling of living apart from the larger world that draws us to island life. Anyone living or visiting on Vancouver Island, and the smaller rural islands and coastline of south-central B.C. can certainly appreciate the charms of living in a more physically remote, isolated area, but doing so is not without its challenges. While as islanders we may wish to be far from the madding crowd, during the pandemic we also learned firsthand the importance of community and of our connection to the rest of the world.

Connectivity is critical to the wellbeing of even the most rural and isolated of locations, and tied directly to the economic, social, and physical health, and sustainability of these communities. And that connectivity includes diverse access across many channels including expanded transportation links with improved road and highway access, marine harbours and ports, airfields, and helipads, as well as access to enhanced communication and information pathways via Wi-Fi, internet, and mobile communications.

For the past couple decades towns and cities across Vancouver Island have used their smalltown charm and slower pace of life as a selling point, attracting new businesses and skilled workers to relocate to their communities. Back in 2002, the City of Parksville marketed its award-winning development of a Civic & Technology Centre (the PCTC) as being “connected to the world... yet worlds apart” and brought a state-of-the art fiber optic network to a new collaborative community hub for government, education, and private enterprise. The Cowichan Valley Regional District recently launched a strategic plan featuring the development of a connectivity strategy as a key action towards creating healthy, livable, and efficiently serviced communities for residents of all backgrounds and income levels. “Connectivity is an essential service that allows us not only to communicate, but to work, learn and access services online,” Barry O'Riordan , Manager of Economic Development Cowichan, said in the report. “This strategy helps us better understand the state of internet and cell phone connectivity in the region so we can work to improve access for all residents and businesses.”

But in smaller towns, villages and settlements, the digital divide is felt most keenly adding to the “rural penalty that people and businesses pay when they are separated by distance from economic centres,”as noted by Sun-ha Hong, Assistant Professor at the School of Communication at 加拿大西蒙弗雷泽大学 . He adds that “internet connectivity is more important than ever and is essential to people staying healthy, being informed, and having access to work and other opportunities."

“And that’s often not purely a technological limitation, but a policy and resources decision as well. We know there is also a clear divide by factors like race and income,” says Hong. In the U.S., researchers like Christopher Ali from the Federal Communications Commission show that rural broadband is a classic case of what economists call “market failure.” This occurs when the private market isn’t sufficient to provide a collective good because projects are not deemed profitable enough in the short term. Hong points out that historically it’s not easy to change this kind of “infrastructural asymmetry,” and it’s hard to make even small changes with piecemeal efforts. Change tends to require clear, government-led effort that looks beyond immediate dollar costs to long-term benefits to society.

In 2016 the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commissions (CRTC) deemed broadband access a “basic right.” Fast forward to today with the B.C. government’s ambitious goal of bringing high speed internet to remote communities by 2027. A daunting task when you look at the vast area and rugged terrain of much of area, but the process to do just that is underway.

In response to an inquiry from the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance, the Ministry of Citizens’ Services agreed to a Q&A about internet connectivity via email.

The B.C. government believes all British Columbians deserve access to reliable high-speed internet. Now more than ever, people need consistent, dependable internet to stay connected, continue their education, conduct business, and access vital services like health care. Expanding access to rural and remote communities allows more people to stay in the communities they call home and bridges the digital divide so everyone in B.C. can share in the local and global opportunities that connectivity unlocks.

HOW IS THE PROVINCE PLANNING TO MEET ITS 2027 GOAL OF CONNECTING ALL COMMUNITIES TO HIGH-SPEED INTERNET?

In March 2022, the B.C. government and federal government announced joint funding of $830 million ($415 million each) to connect all remaining underserved households in B.C. to high-speed internet services. That includes finding connectivity solutions for some of the most challenging terrains in B.C.

Together with First Nations, local governments, telecommunication companies, and the federal government, the Province is working hard to ensure high-speed internet reaches every household by 2027. Since 2017, the B.C. government has funded high-speed internet services to approximately 70,000 homes. In Budget 2023, the B.C. government announced $75 million in new funding to expand emergency cellular services along stretches of highway with no cellphone coverage. The Province provides funding to support the expansion of high-speed internet services through the Connecting Communities B.C. program.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PROJECTS SPECIFIC TO VANCOUVER ISLAND?

A key project benefitting the region is the Connected Coast project, which includes laying 3,500 kilometres of subsea, fibre-optic cable along the seabed to enable high-speed internet capacity along the coast from Haida Gwaii to southern Vancouver Island. This $45 million project is run by CityWest and Strathcona Regional District and funded in part by the Province and the federal government. The project will bring transport fibre optic cable near 139 rural and remote coastal communities, including 48 Indigenous communities. This network will bring the needed capacity to “last mile” community infrastructure that connects to homes. Last mile projects, also often funded by the provincial and federal governments, then connect community homes and businesses to high-speed internet through the Connected Coast project.

Another example is $4.6 million in joint federal and provincial funding, which will connect more than 1,200 households. As a result, people in Telegraph Cove, Holberg, Houpsitas 6 of the Kyuquot First Nation, and Winter Harbour on northern Vancouver Island, as well as the communities of Van Anda on Texada Island, Galiano Island, and Saturna Island, will benefit from faster internet. Other examples of Vancouver Island-specific projects can be found at: news.gov.B.C. .ca/releases/2022CITZ0064-001680.

WHAT IS THE MINISTRY HOPING THE RESULT WILL BE ONCE EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO HIGH-SPEED INTERNET?

Investments in connectivity are anticipated to bring high-speed internet to communities and increased access to government services like health care and education. The Province has commissioned a series of Connectivity Benefit Studies to explore the economic potential of these investments.

A recent look at the interactive map on connnectedcoast.ca shows the status of various sections of the route. A long stretch now joins the mainland to Gabriola Island, north through Comox, Port Hardy and makes landfall in many smaller communities including Alert Bay and Tsatsisnukwomi Village along the way. As well, the state-of-the-art fibre optic cables will service remote light, and lifeboat stations including Coast Guard stations at Bella Bella, Bonilla Island, Boat Bluff, Dryad Point, and Addenbroke Island, enhancing marine safety and modernizing communication grids. Additional cable routes following the Island coastline are awaiting their turn or are in the permitting and design stages of development.

Meanwhile, Prof. Hong says online work of some form will increase in coming years, adding it just may not always resemble COVID-era work-from-home numbers. Martin Davis, mayor of Tahis (a remote community of 400 people on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island) agrees and as is looking forward to the day all remote communities will have access to reliable, highspeed internet. He adds, during Covid many people began re-evaluating their lifestyle and wanted to move to a smaller community, but the lack of high-speed internet was a factor in their decision making. “We do have people here who work online, but it will be even easier once we have a faster bypass,” says Davis. “So, I think our community is going to keep growing.”

“We all know that internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age—it’s a necessity. Access to fast, reliable internet helps rural Canadians by levelling the playing field to access essential services like health care and education, participate in the digital economy, or simply connect with loved ones.”

—The Honourable Gudie Hutchings , Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency