West Grey pleased with broadband announcement

WEST GREY, ON— The Municipality of West Grey is encouraged by the announcement of funding for broadband.

On November 17, the province announced that all contracts have been signed in Bruce and Grey counties through the Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) project. In total, nearly $17 million will be invested into improving high-speed connectivity in Grey County.

“I am excited and pleased to see federal and provincial funding to improve broadband in West Grey,” said Mayor Christine Robinson. “Now, more than ever, we need the ability for everyone to have access to reliable Internet, and this is a major step forward. I am so pleased that our advocacy efforts have contributed to securing these contracts.”

The nearly $17 million to be spent in Grey County includes: an $8.1 million hybrid project using a combination of fibre and wireless technology to expand broadband to 1,904 homes in West Grey and the Township of Southgate; a $940,000 project to deploy fibre-optic cable along 15 kilometres of roadway in West Grey to deliver high-speed connectivity to 134 households and businesses by 2022; and a $7.7 million fibre-to-the-home project that will benefit 1,858 homes and businesses in Meaford, Chatsworth, Georgian Bluffs and West Grey.

In the announcement earlier this week, Grey County Warden Paul McQueen noted that access to high speed Internet is essential.

“Grey County residents are spending more time online working, learning and doing business,” said Warden McQueen. “Access to high-speed Internet is vital to our future. It’s encouraging to know SWIFT projects will soon be underway, expanding this important infrastructure in Grey County.”