BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Bridging the

Digital DIVIDE

As a result of the City of Pickering’s advocacy on broadband investment and Bell Canada’s recent expansion of pure fibre Internet in Pickering’s hamlets and rural areas, Grammy award-winning producer, Boi1da, can now collaborate with top music artists like Drake, Eminem, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and Jack Harlow directly from his home studio in north Pickering.

Boi1da is just one of thousands of residents located in Seaton, Kinsale, Whitevale, and beyond who are now enjoying the benefits of broadband.

In fact, Global News recently caught up with some of the happy Pickering residents and one in particular noted: “It’s like a Christmas gift to me…it was like a whole new world opened up to me, because I had no idea what people’s enjoyment of Netflix was.”

Two and a half years ago, global hip-hop and entertainment icon, Drake, took to social media to call on the ‘Mayor of Pickering’ to fix the Internet issues where his regular producer, Boi1da, lives and works. In turn, the City of Pickering issued a clever, tonguein-cheek response referencing Drake’s song titles and lyrics to address the connectivity issue, while also communicating some of the City’s key accomplishments and priorities.

Pickering attracted the undivided attention of the entire broadband industry.

Consequently, many Internet Service Providers (ISP) reached out to the City to discuss broadband enhancement and expansion in its hamlets and rural areas. Ultimately, Bell Canada was the first ISP to deploy a significant fibre Internet project in Pickering’s underserviced areas.

Over the next 3 years, there will be over 21,000 new locations connected in both rural and urban areas across Pickering.

This includes Green River, Claremont, Pickering’s Filming Backlot, Amberlea, Woodlands, Brock Ridge, Village East, Dunbarton, and Liverpool.

The City has entered into a service agreement with Bell Canada, and will be hiring two full-time staff who will be dedicated to the Bell high-speed fibre project. Bell will be fully funding the salaries of these two positions.

We have also established an Executive Working Group and an Operations Working Group to provide oversight, governance, and enhance communications.

Looking forward, access to reliable high-speed Internet is critical if we are to attract the best and brightest residents and businesses to Pickering.