Two high speed internet projects that were set to be complete by the end of the year in North Kawartha have stalled out.
At the Aug 12 Council meeting Edward Hilton, Economic Development Officer for the township presented a report updating council on the Accelerated High Speed Internet Program (AHSIP). He said that the AHSIP is a provincial initiative that was launched in 2020 aimed at connecting unserved and underserved areas across Ontario with high-speed internet.
There are two projects within the program slotted to enhance internet connectivity within North Kawartha.
Hilton’s report said that the projects include what is referred to as Lot 10 which was awarded to Rogers Communication which would cover the majority of the township and Lot 35 which was awarded to Bell Canada and covers parts of Haliburton County, including the Eels Lake area.
Hilton told council that connectivity for properties in Highlands East along Eels Lake is provided through the Apsley Bell Central Office. As part of the original plan for Lot 35, Bell had intended to extend service to properties in North Kawartha, from Apsley northward, leveraging the existing central office infrastructure.
Last year, Rogers told North Kawartha staff that permitting for Lot 10 would most likely be done by the first or second quarter of 2025.
All AHSIP projects have a target completion date on December 30 of this year.
However, that target does not seem achievable with the state of things in North Kawartha.
Hilton told council that the Lot 10 project status has remained as “Planning” on publicly available tracking platforms. He said that to date, no permit applications have been submitted to the township, and no distribution or transport fibre infrastructure work has been observed in North Kawartha or adjacent municipalities under this project.
His report said that in contrast, Lot 35 is currently listed as “Under Construction”, with fibre connectivity supported by the Apsley Bell Central Office.
While this sounds encouraging and there was extensive work done on the site last year, Hilton said that he is not expecting any major updates on this project as earlier this year Bell Canada announced a reduction in its fibre expansion targets, citing regulatory and federal policy changes related to wholesale access. His report said that specifically, Bell indicated it would reduce its fibre build by 1.5 million locations and cut $500 million in capital expenditures for 2025.
Hilton’s report stated it remains uncertain whether Bell’s decision to scale back its fibre build-out has affected any properties in North Kawartha. However, minimal construction activity has been observed in 2025.
Hilton said, “Staff are hopeful that the province may consider extending funding timelines or allocating additional resources to ensure the completion of these critical broadband projects.”
He told council that recent events such as the ice storm and telecommunication outages have highlighted the importance reliable broadband infrastructure in the Township, not only for critical municipal operations, but also for the business community, healthcare providers, and local organizations that rely on consistent connectivity to serve residents and visitors.
Because there is so much work left to be done, Hilton said that they are hopeful the provincial government will extend the funding at some point this fall. However this is uncertain and staff will continue having conversations with the ministry of infrastructure and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network to advocate for timely delivery of this critical infrastructure and to obtain updates about the projects.
Councillors all agreed it was frustrating to see the lack of movement on the project and received the report for information.
