Provincial Broadband Funding

Ontario continues to provide access to affordable, accessible and efficient broadband services through a number of initiatives.

These are supported by inter-ministerial partnerships between the Ministries of Government Services, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Economic Development and Trade, and Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. 

Most recently, on July 30, 2009, Ontario committed to nearly $88 million in provincial broadband infrastructure funding for two programs being cost-shared with the federal governments:

• Building Canada Fund - Major Infrastructure Component
  The province will provide up to one-third of total eligible project costs up to $55 million for the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus Inc. Regional Broadband Network Proposal

• Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians program
  The province will provide up to one-third of total eligible project costs up to $32.75 million for identified broadband projects across Ontario.

Since 2007, Ontario has committed $70 million to upgrade or build broadband infrastructure in rural and remote communities in southern and northern Ontario. This has significantly improved access for Ontario businesses and citizens across the province.

• $30 million was committed to expand broadband and cellular services to remote areas of northern Ontario, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry broadband initiative
• $10 million was also invested to expand broadband coverage in rural southern Ontario through Rural Connections. The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program.
• An additional $30 million was allocated in the Spring 2008 Budget for the Rural Connections Broadband Program.

Through these programs we have funded 69 projects to date.