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42 Tuesday, October 2013 Vol. 7,Vol. No.8,2,No. Tuesday, November 8, 1, 2011
Province and county partner to improve internet access for rural residents Michelle Pinon Editor
More rural residents in Lamont County will soon have better access to high speed internet thanks to a special partnership between the local municipality and the provincial government. Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson, along with his counterpart Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MLA Jacquie Fenske, were on hand to deliver a $127,500 cheque to Reeve Wayne Woldanski this past Friday, Sept. 27. Also on hand for the presentation were members of council, staff, elected officials from neighbouring municipal-
ities, representatives from various organizations for the special presentation which took place in the foyer of the county’s administrative office. Around 40 people packed the foyer to hear more about the Final Mile Rural Community Program grant, and how it will impact rural residents in the county. The project will include the construction of four new tower sites as well as the purchase of related broadband equipment from service provider MCSNet. It is estimated that at least 242 unserved county addresses will be served because of this project. Olson said he was
MICHELLE PINON PHOTOS
Government officials and MCSNet representatives had the honour of cutting the cake to celebrate a new partnership agreement that will give more county residents access to high speed internet. From left to right are: MCSNet President Leo VanBrabant, Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson, Lamont County Reeve Wayne Woldanski, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MLA Jacquie Fenske, and MCSNet representative Jason Sundt.
Lamont County Reeve Wayne Woldanski
very happy with the number of people in attendance, and even acknowledged the folks who were gathered in the gallery area, before launching into his speech about the Final Mile Project which was launched by the province a year and a half ago, and its commitment to invest $5 million to take rural residents from dial up to high speed internet to help serve them better and enable them to access information more quickly. “It’s something people in larger centres take for
granted,” said Olson. “Our goal is to have 98 per cent of the province have access to high speed internet service,” added Olson. He touched on the importance of having high speed internet service for agricultural producers in the province. “It’s absolutely essential for an exporting province and country like ours to be able to find markets and stay in contact with markets.” Olson went onto say that agriculture is a “highly complex science based industry” and
“not a quaint traditional industry” which underscores the importance of having high speed internet ready to access at the click of a button. “The internet is a powerful tool that puts a wealth of information at our fingertips. Ensuring Albertans across this province have the opportunity to use this tool is part of our ongoing efforts to build Alberta and support our vibrant rural communities.” Olson also commended Lamont County for identifying the need for high speed internet and
applying for grant funds under the program. The county was one of 23 successful applicants. The province covers 75 per cent of the investment for equipment and infrastructure while the local municipality contributes 25 per cent. Reeve Wayne Woldanski said MCSNet is the major provider of services across the county and the municipality has signed a 10 year agreement with the company. Continued on Page 2