(Niagara, ON) March 25, 2022 – SWIFT today announced that high-speed internet will soon be available to 765 homes and businesses in the Niagara Region, as the regional broadband program marks the start of construction on a high-speed fibre-optic project that will expand broadband service throughout the Town of Grimsby and within the Township of West Lincoln.
“Together in partnership with local and regional internet service providers we are pleased at the speed in which progress is being made in Niagara to quickly deploy critical broadband infrastructure in efforts to increase access to high-speed service in many of the Region’s underserved communities,” said Barry Field, Executive Director, SWIFT. “Today as we mark the start of construction on our fourth and final awarded project in Niagara, we look forward to continuing to drive greater connectivity across the Region and throughout Southwestern Ontario.”
Cogeco Connexion, in partnership with SWIFT, is constructing a 53-kilometre fibre-optic network to bring improved broadband access to the communities of Grimsby Centre, Grassie, Allen’s Corners, Kimbo, Fulton, Abingdon, Caistor Centre and Caistorville.
“Our government has made access to high-speed internet a priority for rural Ontario, and we’re delivering on that commitment,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “New connections like the ones announced today, will help families stay in touch and help people access the supports they need, while providing a much-needed boost to the local economy. It’s this type of critical infrastructure that will build Ontario and benefit the entire community.”
“The SWIFT project has been designed to bring broadband connectivity to underserviced areas of Ontario. Internet is a basic necessity that is required in today’s world for all businesses, including modern agriculture,” said Robert Foster, Niagara Regional Councillor and SWIFT board member. “The projects identified for West Lincoln met all the SWIFT criteria and I am pleased that we are moving forward with this construction for the Township’s citizens.”
Construction of the new high-speed network began in January and is forecasted to be complete with service fully available to all locations within the project’s fibre footprint by December 2022.
“Connecting our communities for work, school, social, and entertainment needs is our priority. We are proud to partner with SWIFT to bring Cogeco’s high-speed Internet to over 755 homes and businesses in Niagara. Our local teams are currently working to install approximately 55 km of our latest fibre-optic technology, which will deliver download speeds of up to 1Gbps upon completion,” said Matt Wickham, Vice President and General Manager, Ontario, Cogeco.
Today’s announcement is part of SWIFT’s $268 million regional broadband expansion plan that will bring high-speed internet service to more than 63,000 homes and businesses throughout Southwestern Ontario.
For additional information on SWIFT funded projects, please visit: www.swiftruralbroadband.ca/projects
Additional Information:
Quick Facts:
- SWIFT, in partnership with the federal and provincial governments and private sector investors, has committed a combined investment of $21.2 million to bring high-speed internet service to more than 5,646 underserved homes and businesses within the Niagara Region.
- In total, SWIFT has awarded 97contracts to support the expansion of broadband infrastructure throughout Southwestern Ontario to bring more than 63,000 homes and businesses across the region improved access to high-speed internet. Local projects are underway, with 54 projects in the construction phase and 21 projects completed.
About SWIFT
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) is a non-profit regional broadband project initiated by the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus to subsidize the construction of high-speed broadband networks across Southwestern Ontario, Caledon and the Niagara Region.
The project was approved for funding up to $127.4 million under the New Building Canada Fund – Small Communities Fund (NBCF-SCF), a joint federal and provincial infrastructure funding program, and leverages additional funding from municipal partners and private sector investors to bring improve access to broadband services across the region.
Media Contact:
Melissa O’Brien
[email protected]
Manager, Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology
226.256.1640
