At last Wednesday’s regular council meeting, members of the Township of Alberton agreed to support improved digital cellular and high speed internet service in Northwestern Ontario.
The passed resolution authorized Reeve Mike Hammond to submit a letter of support for Rainy River Future Development Corp’s application for funding for the initiative.
“[The Township] wishes to ensure that access to broadband service is available to all residents and businesses in the municipality of Alberton,” the motion read.
One element of the RRFDC’s strategic plan is improve broadband access to residents in the Rainy River District and to take steps to ensure that “in-filling” of broadband service occurs throughout the district.
Geoff Gillon, Regional Economic Developer with the RRDFC, noted they have had a successful year with the broadband expansion project and are continuing to improve the system by filling in the gaps along Hwy. 11 where the service is poor or not readily available.
They sent in the application for funding on Thursday for the project, which is estimated to cost about $4 million.
The RRFDC recently earned an Achievement Award from the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corps for its work on the broadband project.
In addition, TBay Tel received funding of $1.2 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and Industry Canada/FedNor to provide broadband service in the district in a joint project with Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Nee-Yah-Zhing Advisory Services Inc., RRFDC and TBay Tel and they constructed a telecommunications tower along Hwy. 611 north of Alberton in 2006-2007.
But broadband equipment was not installed on the tower and the tower currently provides cell service only.
“It was clearly the understanding of the RRFDC—which represented to attendees at its February 1, 2007 meeting in Barwick, Ontario that broadband service would be available to residents and businesses in the tower’s coverage area in late spring, and even provided pricing from TBay Tel for the broadband service—that the tower would provide broadband service “in-filling” in the Alberton area,” the motion continued.
The Township of Alberton was informed the cost to install broadband equipment on the tower is about $25,000 which council felt is a small amount considering the funding TBay Tel has already received.
Therefore, council requested and petitioned the RRFDC to take all actions necessary to have TBay Tel immediately commit to the installation of broadband equipment on the tower and to have the equipment activated by the end of summer, 2007.
Also at last Wednesday’s regular meeting, council:
•passed the 2007 budget with an average tax increase of 0.359 per cent (averaged over all property classes). The commercial increase is 0.319 per cent, industrial is 0.3358 per cent and farm is 0.500 per cent;
•agreed to reimburse to residents under the Alberton Non-Resident Library Fee Program;
•awarded the gravel tender to George Armstrong Co. Limited;
•approved payment of $500 to Wilson’s Signs and Monuments to produce a design for potential gateway signs for the Township with the understanding should council engage the business to construct the signs, same will be absorbed in the overall project cost;
•approved the purchase of an 1986 Mack truck by the Alberton Volunteer Fire Department;
•authorized to send Coun. Peter Spuzak to attend the Senior and Elected Officials emergency training workshop in Fort Frances on Jun. 21; and
•supported a resolution passed by the City of Dryden regarding the Species at Risk Act.
The next council meeting of the Township of Alberton is scheduled for July 11 at 7 p.m. at the municipal office.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
