By: Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
Leading provincial officials paid a visit to the University of Guelph/Ridgetown College campus recently to mark the completion of $49 million worth of investment into high-speed Internet.
The effort, which includes access for an additional 4,851 Chatham-Kent homes, farms and businesses, drew praise from dignitaries.
Chatham-Kent–Leamington MPP Trevor Jones – who also serves as Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness – said the improvements are critical to the farming industry.
Jones said the work is “helping close the connectivity gaps” in Ridgetown and the surrounding area.
“Farms and agribusinesses are right now in the future,” Jones told reporters, noting connectivity needs to be seamless and in “real time.
“That’s what these investments do,” he added. “They bring our farms and agribusinesses to the modern age and will help make us globally competitive.”
His words were echoed by Sam Oosterhoff, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries, who also attended the announcement.
“Our government is continuing to make major progress on filling critical service gaps, which will make a real difference in the lives of thousands of residents, businesses and visitors across Southwestern Ontario,” Oosterhoff said. “Expanding reliable, high-speed Internet is not a luxury, it is essential to daily life in today’s digital world. That’s why we’re making historic investments to fund the critical infrastructure that will help build a more connected and competitive Ontario, today and for decades to come.”
The milestone marks the completion of another range of key projects under Ontario’s plan to invest nearly $4 billion to bring high-speed Internet access to every corner of the province.
