High-speed internet plays key role against virus

The web has enabled us to constrain virus’s spread, writes Nancy Peckford.

Earlier this week, the Doug Ford government announced an unprecedented $11-billion joint funding agreement to support Ontario’s COVID-19 recovery, fragile as it may be. In his announcement, Ford recognized the province’s strong and collaborative relationship with its federal counterpart. Given the chaos in the U.S., we are lucky.

Of the $11 billion, $4 billion is intended to support 444 municipalities across Ontario, of which 50 per cent is designated for public transit systems. Clearly, the arrival of COVID-19 has dramatically changed daily commuting patterns. The radically quick pivot to work-from-home, learn-from-home arrangements continues to transform Ontarians’ habits and imperatives. It’s no surprise, then, that urban transit systems are hemorrhaging dollars, riders and need the help. No doubt, many users of Ottawa’s beleaguered LRT system were happy to take a break.

But there is another urgent need for a successful economic recovery. High-speed broadband has been the invisible enabler when it comes to Canadians’ efforts to contain COVID-19 transmission. Overnight, millions of families, professionals and business owners became solely dependent on their Internet Service Provider to work, learn, visit the doctor, and obtain the goods and services they needed.

Local businesses immediately transitioned to web sales and curbside pick-up only. Classes were streamed, doctors shifted to virtual consultations, and entertainment went exclusively online. Given the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases, we may be back there again in the not too distant future.

However, many living outside of the urban core in Ottawa and other big cities were met with the daily frustrations of a poor and unreliable internet connection. Before moving out of the city, I mistakenly assumed this was only happening in highly remote locations. Not true.

Go a few kilometres outside of urban boundaries and the reality is that good broadband is a matter of good luck.

In fact, the recently established CRTC basic minimum standard for internet service (50 Mbps for downloads and 10 Mbps for uploads) is out of reach for over 40 per cent of those living and working outside of major urban centres in Eastern Ontario — nearly a half a million people.

And with diminished access to reliable internet comes diminished opportunity. Businesses can’t rely on an online customer base, education can’t be effectively delivered remotely, professionals who are staying out of the office won’t get the work done without massive delays, and primary health care is reduced to a telephone call.

Many parents and professionals, including me, are wringing their hands about back-to-school and work arrangements for the fall.

As a mother of three school age kids, I fully understand the limitations of virtual learning. My kids yearn for human contact and a screen is, at best, a one-dimensional experience they tolerate, not embrace, as a substitute for school. Plus, unfortunately, we can’t always count on the internet to deliver.

But as mayor of North Grenville, a high-growth community immediately south of Ottawa, I am deeply aware that public health must come first. Should keeping kids out of the classroom (or offering a hybrid program), among other measures, become the only way to ensure we get through a second wave without another massive economic disruption, I can accept that, for myself and my community.

What I can’t accept is poor rural internet service that risks leaving many of my residents, businesses and much of Ontario behind. Without an ambitious federal- provincial strategy that prioritizes the establishment of truly high-speed, reliable rural broadband networks (i.e. a gigabit), access to education, health care, jobs and Ontario’s long term economic recovery are in jeopardy.

The urgency of the matter is akin to urban transit, and the dollars to fix it are comparable. However, its impact will have an equalizing effect across the province, ensuring that no matter where you live, COVID-19 will not exact more of a price than it already has. Nancy Peckford is mayor of North Grenville, and an advocate for the Eastern Ontario Regional Network’s plan to bring a gigabit to every household, business and institution in Eastern Ontario.