The federal government has announced additional funding for a project to connect people in rural and remote Labrador communities to high speed internet.
Government first announced details of the project in the spring of 2022.
$22 million was allocated to the Nunatsiavut Government for Bell to build the network for the areas of Rigolet, Postville, Makkovik, Nain, Hopedale and Natuashish. Now, government is giving an extra $10 million to help fund the project.
MP Yvonne Jones says a number of factors lead to the need for the extra money.
Jones says some of the aging technology that needs to be replaced wasn’t initially factored in, there were issues with the supply chain, and then there was the challenge of trying to get everything to remote locations.
She says costs have increased over the last 12 to 24 months, however the costs aren’t unlike what’s being seen in other northern and arctic areas of the country.
The Nunatsiavut Government welcomes the funding, noting that it will help businesses, as well as enable better access to things such as health care and education.