As Ontario and the federal government unveil a $56 million plan to improve high-speed internet accessibility in eastern Ontario, some rural communities less than an hour’s drive outside of Toronto are urging local governments to take action to fix sub-par connectivity.
During its most recent meeting, residents pleaded with Oshawa City Council to improve internet connectivity services in rural GTA communities like Raglan.
One Raglan resident, Rita Litherland, described her internet situation “like living in the dark ages.”
“I have been living in rural Raglan for 30 years and still no high speed internet is available. Living in this area is like living in the dark ages. We are within minutes of a shopping center and yet no internet,” wrote Litherland.
“This is an essential service and [we] have experienced months of no internet when we had that storm in May. This was unacceptable and needs to be addressed so this does not happen again.”
On Wednesday, Ontario announced it would be funding three projects by Bell and Cogeco to bring high-speed internet to over 16,000 rural homes in eastern Ontario. The projects are expected to be completed by December 2025.
“We all know that internet is no longer a luxury in this day and age — it’s a necessity. Access to fast, reliable internet helps rural Canadians by levelling the playing field so they can access essential services like health care and education, participate in the digital economy, or simply connect with loved ones,” said Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings.
The funding comes in addition to other initiatives including a $1.2 billion federal and provincial investment announced last year.
True North reached out to the Ontario government to ask whether Raglan and other rural GTA communities would be included in the latest project but did not receive a response by the deadline given.
Another Raglan resident, Tracey Podlowski, wrote to council members explaining that she had to pay “exorbitant” fees for shoddy internet services.
“We continue to pay an exorbitant amount of money for service that is less than adequate. If you plan on having company over to watch a movie on Netflix, you better reevaluate that thought, you’ll more than likely spend the evening watching the buffer go around,” said Podlowski.
“We’ve tried almost every service provider available, and the end result is the same – spotty at best internet connection.”
