The federal government is investing $81.36 million to bring high-speed internet to the Outaouais region in Quebec.
The project will be funded under the Canada–Quebec Operation High Speed initiative and aims to bring connectivity to 18,200 households in the region.
Xplornet will receive $57.5 million to bring coverage to 15,310 households and Cogeco will receive $23.8 million to connect 2,890 households. The services are expected to be deployed by September 2022.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that connecting all Quebecers to high-speed internet has never been more important,” said Will Amos, the parliamentary secretary to Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, in a statement.
“With this historic announcement, and thanks to our good collaboration with the Government of Quebec, we’re increasing the potential for economic growth and helping improve the quality of life of Quebecers in rural communities.”
The projects will connect numerous municipalities in the region, including Chelsea, Pontiac, Blue Sea, Gracefield, Aumond and more.
Over the past few weeks, the government has announced several projects being deployed under Operation High Speed. The projects are targeting areas such as Mauricie, the Granit RCM, the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Memphremagog regions and more.
The government says Operation High Speed will give Quebec the highest connectivity rate in Canada, at 99 percent and that it will reach 100 percent of households throughout the province by September 2022.
