Melissa O'Brien, Author at Swift Rural Broadband

Blog

CRTC gets it right: farmers need high speed internet access

When the CRTC declared broadband a basic telecommunications service in December 2016, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture joined prominent leaders in government, business, and industry in applauding the move by Canada's telecommunications regulator. OFA has…

Melissa O'BrienFebruary 16, 2017

Blog

Funding feeds rural hunger for fibre optics

When SWIFT received $180 in combined funding from the Governments of Canada and Ontario through the New Building Canada - Small Communities Fund in July 2016, media coverage highlighted the critical need for fast, reliable…

Melissa O'BrienFebruary 16, 2017

Blog

Cultivating & Connecting Agricultural Leaders: Ag Women’s Network

Formed in 2013, the Ag Women’s Network (AWN) is passionately focused on cultivating and connecting leaders for a strong agriculture sector. With more than 1500 members, our membership consists of women working in all facets…

Melissa O'BrienFebruary 16, 2017

Blog

There’s an app for ag: AgNition

When experienced farmers turn their attention to digital innovation, great things happen. Bringing together technical expertise in agriculture and technology, the team behind AgNition, an innovative ag-tech start-up in Guelph, are building new solutions for…

Melissa O'BrienFebruary 16, 2017

Blog

SWIFT & R2B2: Working Together to Understand Broadband in Rural Communities

We've been working with the team at the University of Guelph's Regional and Rural Broadband Project (R2B2) for several years, and recently reaffirmed this important partnership as part of our shared work in understanding the…

Melissa O'BrienFebruary 16, 2017

Blog

Fresh Spoke: Ebay meets Uber gets local food to vendors without the middle man

The sharing economy is coming to food distribution. FreshSpoke is a new app-based marketplace for local food designed to grow sales and simplify delivery. FreshSpoke exemplifies the kind of innovation that can happen when entrepreneurs, leaders in…

Melissa O'BrienFebruary 16, 2017

Blog

Today is Canada’s Agriculture Day!

Today, we're joining farmers, communities, and organizations across the country in celebrating the importance of agriculture to Canada's past, present, and future as part of Canada's Agriculture Day. Here at SWIFT, we recognize how important…

Melissa O'BrienFebruary 16, 2017

Blog

CTI Deadline Extended to April 20, 2017

The Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada announced has extended the deadline to apply for Connect to Innovate Funding from March 13, 2017 to April 20, 2017. To learn more, please read our primer for…

Melissa O'BrienFebruary 3, 2017

Blog

Statement from the Chair – January 31, 2017

Statement from the SWIFT Board Chair As an organization working to connect over 3.5 million Ontarians across more than 350 communities, SWIFT is based on the idea that we are better together, and better when…

Melissa O'BrienJanuary 31, 2017

Blog

Connect to Innovate: Update and Clarification for Service Providers and Communities ** New Deadline Date

Connect to Innovate: Update for Service Providers As we work toward releasing the RFPQ to service providers in mid-2017, we know that there are multiple opportunities before service providers in our region this year. One…

Melissa O'BrienJanuary 25, 2017