(2021 retroactive) – July – A joint investment of $39.64 million between Canada and Quebec was announced in July, which will allow 5,300 families in Bas-Saint-Laurent to access Videotron high-speed Internet services by September 2022.

Federal Minister for National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie-Les-de-la-Madeleine, Diane Lebouthillier; Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx; Parliamentary Assistant to the Prime Minister of Quebec (High Speed ​​Internet Component) Gilles Bellanger; Côte de Sud regional deputy, Marie-Yves Proulx; The announcement was made by the regional deputy of Rivière de Loup Timiscoata, Denis Tardif, as well as the president and CEO of the province of Québecourt, Pierre-Carl Bellado.

Videotron will receive a total of $34 million from two levels of government to support the deployment of high-speed Internet services in the region. The total cost of the project is $39.64 million. The announced investment will contribute to accelerating the deployment of reliable and efficient infrastructure in the municipalities listed in the annex. Over the next few months, Videotron will conduct an inventory of target areas to ensure that no home is left without service. “

High speed internet services are essential in a modern society like that of Quebec. Access to efficient, reliable and affordable Internet services is at the heart of the economic and social development of societies. The Canada-Quebec-funded work of the high-speed operation is a key component of Quebec’s digital transformation and will enhance access to telemedicine, distance education, entertainment, online sales and telework,” a federal government press release outlined.

basic access

“This is excellent news for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, and even for all of rural Quebec. The pandemic has shown us how important high-speed internet access is for our communities, not only to bring people together virtually, but also to work, study and trade. Our government recognizes that it is essential and vital Connecting rural Canada, in this case the regions of Quebec. We are proud to be involved in this important project and will continue to invest and work in partnership with the Government of Quebec, so that every family can have access to high-speed internet,” Minister Lebouthélier said.

Unprecedented

“The announced investments are unprecedented and demonstrate how the deployment of high-speed Internet services is a priority for our government. It is a service that has become essential, not only to ensure the economic and tourism development of the regions, but also to support the vitality of our communities,” said Quebec Minister Caroline Proulx.

“Today’s announcement is very important for Saint Laurent. Thanks to the cooperation between our government and Videotron, 5,250 families will have access to reliable and efficient high-speed Internet services by September 2022. I am proud of the work done. We continue the path in our commitment. We will become pioneers,” Gilles Bellanger added. In terms of communication.

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“Today’s announcement makes me very happy, because it shows that our government is living up to its commitments. It is the desire for action and cooperation that allow us to solve problems, and for this reason I salute all the players involved in this unprecedented process. Finally, I have a special thought for all the citizens in my constituency, who will be Able to say, thanks to this announcement, after many years of waiting, that they will finally be able to access high-speed Internet,” Rep. Mary commented. – Eve Prolux.

“More than ever, we must give our companies the means to further develop them. Also, we want to connect homes to allow remote work and maintain connections with our loved ones. Today’s announcement complements connectivity work across the constituency regardless of the municipality. I am I am proud of the work done by our government, which makes it possible to provide the long-awaited service to the population, high-speed Internet.”

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“It is with great pride that Videotron has been chosen to connect these homes in the area to high speed internet. Our company has been in homes in Bas-Saint-Laurent for many years now, and today’s announcement will allow us to connect more citizens to our network. By September 2022, we will be able to 5,300 new families in the region benefit from the best communication services and the best services in addition to the best prices.”

Briefly

• Operation High Speed ​​will connect 150,000 homes, including through unprecedented agreements with six of the largest telecom companies. This is made possible thanks to an investment, in equal parts, of $826.3 million by the governments of Canada and Quebec.
• The Government of Canada has committed billions of dollars to internet infrastructure in rural and remote areas, including $2.75 billion under the Global Broadband Fund, of which $1 billion is from the 2021 budget.
• On March 9, the Quebec government announced that it had increased its budget to more than $1 billion to speed up high-speed Internet access for thousands of Quebec households.