Broadband potentially good for RM: Poitras

But municipality wants 100 per cent coverage before committing to project

Roger Poitras says it’s about time.

The St. Francois Xavier reeve is talking about the Central Manitoba Broadband Project, an initiative to provide high-speed Internet access to 11 rural communities, including his own.

The project, which will have the potential to reach up to 20,000 residents throughout the Central Plains/Heartland region of Manitoba, is something for which Poitras has been hoping for a long time, but he says the municipality isn’t ready to commit fully just yet.

“We supported the initiative...but there are still a number of factors we want to look at before committing to the project,” he said.

“What we’re looking for with this type of initiative is someone who can provide Internet service for everyone in the municipality. People in the village can get access to high-speed, but for people in the more rural parts of the municipality, it’s a different story.”

Poitras said it’s important that residents in Wards 3 and 4 of the municipality – those farthest from the village of St. Francois Xavier, are given an opportunity to be on par, technologically, with those in the village, or in nearby larger centres like Headingley and Winnipeg.

“We’ve got a river going all the way through our municipality, and there are a lot of trees and those types of things, so it all depends where the towers are (to see if it’s worthwhile),” he said.

“If, for example, all the people in Ward 4 couldn’t be reached, that would be a disappointment, and it would definitely affect our decision to go ahead with the project. We really have to take a look at it...we don’t want to spend the ratepayers’ money on something they can’t use.”

Bryan Spencer of Central Plains, Inc., the development organization that proposed the project, told the Headliner these types of concerns should be addressed when an environmental study that will precede the construction of towers, takes place as soon as this April.

The project is expected to take at least 18 months from the April start date before residents in St. Francois Xavier, Cartier and the nine other communities will be able to log on.

Spencer, who described the $2 million-plus project as a “how do we get out to the communities in our area” situation, said one of its goals is to reach as many residents as possible.

Poitras says if that happens, the benefits to his municipality could be huge.

“It’s really a necessity these days,” he said. “In terms of economic and educational benefits, it’s something that can definitely benefit our residents. I want this for everyone.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all have it?”