These Manitoba communities are about to get faster Internet

Federal funding for remote internet access Many rural and remote communities in Manitoba don't have high-speed connections but federal funding looks to change that.

High-speed Starlink Internet is on the way for more than 1,100 homes in rural Manitoba communities.

The federal government is spending $1,045,800 to bring high-speed Internet through Starlink to up to 1,162 homes in St. Laurent, Twin Lakes Beach, Laurentia Beach and Oak Point.

“This investment is another important step toward our government's plan to connect 98 per cent of Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2026 and all Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2030,” said Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South. “Today's announcement builds on our efforts to make sure that every Canadian has access to this critical infrastructure.”

The money will be used to help people living in the rural communities within the RM of St. Laurent be reimbursed for the cost of hooking up to the Starlink satellite system of high-speed Internet.

Cheryl Smith, the reeve of the RM, said the addition of high-speed Internet is a “game changer” for the community.

“We have long known that the Internet service in our municipality was nowhere near the calibre of that in larger urban centres,” Smith said. “But it wasn't until we looked into the Universal Broadband Fund, and after viewing the National Broadband Internet Service availability map online that we realize just how inferior our Internet service were, as compared even to municipalities and towns to the north of us and further away from major centres.”

Smith added the new high-speed Internet can also help with younger people choosing to stay in the community.

“We have noticed a trend that our youth, once they finished high school, they had a difficult time coming home and even thinking about starting after university coming home or starting a business or looking at things because the Internet is very, very important to people,” she said. “It's not a luxury anymore, it's something that is life-changing, and they need it for their everyday use.”

Smith said applications for Starlink are ongoing in the RM’s office.