It will still be more than a year before remote communities like those in the rural municipalities of Piney and Stuartburn have reliable access to internet.

Premier Brian Pallister says the COVID-19 pandemic has made the need for online access in certain regions abundantly clear, but getting that connectivity will take time. The government has plans to use what Pallister calls “dark fibre”, the thousands of kilometers of unused fibre-optics cable running across the province. The idea for this project, which is being done in partnership with Manitoba Hydro, was announced back in May. Since then, Pallister says his government has received several project proposals.

“We are creatively looking at ways to get a really big expansion of internet into lots of parts of rural Manitoba,” he says. “This is a big deal. It is an important thing. A lot of parts of the province are great places to live, but you have got to have that internet access to makes sure you can attract investment and make sure your children can learn… there is a lot of value in having that.”

While the contracts will be awarded early in the new year, building the broadband network is expected to take at least another 12 months which means any perceptible step forward on the matter is still more than a year away.