ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA MUNICIPALITIES
Manitoba’s
Digital Divide
The AMM continues to advocate for
better broadband connectivity
Submitted by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM)
While the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in
significant challenges across Manitoba, the AMM
continues to urge the Province of Manitoba
to expedite the development of a provincial
broadband strategy. The economic slowdown has increasingly
highlighted the digital divide between communities as well as the
immediate need for better broadband access, so all residents have
access to high-quality internet.
Manitoba continues to experience some of the slowest internet
download speeds in the country. In fact, only 29 per cent of rural
residents have access to internet download speeds between 16
and 25 mega-bites per second, compared to near universal access
in medium and large urban centres. This is particularly problematic
during a global pandemic which requires more Manitobans
to work and learn from home while businesses have shifted to
e-commerce platforms.
Earlier this year, the Minister of Agriculture and Resource
Development Blaine Pedersen launched a new rural service delivery
model to modernize services provided to clients. These changes
include new service centres as well as more agricultural services
becoming available online. The AMM understands the needs
and delivery methods for agricultural services continue to evolve
in rural Manitoba. However, the current service delivery model
assumes that all areas throughout the province have sufficient
access to broadband internet connectivity.
Given the ongoing pandemic and push for e-services, better
broadband connectivity is now more critical than ever. Access
to high-speed internet will play an essential role in encouraging
Manitobans to access programs and services via online platforms.
The AMM also welcomed the provincial government’s
commitment over a year ago to leverage Manitoba’s existing fibreoptic
network to improve broadband services in rural, remote,
Indigenous and northern communities, and is looking forward to
learning more details about how this initiative will lead to better
broadband services across Manitoba. Building partnerships
between municipalities and the private sector to advance connectivity
projects will also be critical moving forward, particularly
since Budget 2021 further commits the Province to increase broadband
connectivity to expand coverage gaps and improve access to
internet-based services.
In addition, the AMM welcomed the launch of the federal government’s
Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) in November 2020,
which committed $1.75 billion to bring high-speed internet service
to rural and remote communities across Canada. While the AMM
understood the urgency to distribute funding under this new program,
they immediately wrote a letter to the federal Minister of
Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne,
calling for an extended application deadline, increased funding and
multiple intakes to help address the present gaps in rural broadband
and provide municipalities ample time to submit applications.
Due to these advocacy efforts, the AMM was pleased to see the
federal government listen to municipal concerns and extend the
application deadline as well as commit to a second intake. Moreover,
Budget 2021 proposes to provide an additional $1 billion to the
UBF over six years, starting in 2021-22, to support a more rapid
rollout of broadband projects. This increased federal funding is certainly
welcomed as reliable broadband connectivity will be key to
future productivity growth and economic development as municipalities
look to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In closing, greater broadband connectivity will remain a top
priority for the AMM, which will continue to advocate for all
necessary supports to ensure the economy is ready for a robust
recovery as Manitoba aims to build a more prosperous, resilient
and connected province.
The AMM identifies and addresses the needs and concerns of its
members to achieve strong and effective municipal governments. n
RAJESH RAJENDRAN NAIR/123RF
BUILDING RURAL MANITOBA | 39