FedNor Funds Chapleau-Area Broadband Initiatives

CHAPLEAU, Ontario, November 9, 2005 — Brent St. Denis, Member of Parliament for Algoma–Manitoulin–Kapuskasing, today announced FedNor support of $513,600 for two Chapleau-area connectedness projects. Of the total, $27,600 will be provided to the Township of Chapleau to hire an Information Technology (IT) Coordinator/Trainer to work on Project Chapleau, a wireless broadband initiative. An additional $486,000 will go to the North Eastern Ontario Communication Network (NEOnet) to provide three area First Nations with high-speed Internet service.

Both projects are designed to complement and bolster Project Chapleau which involves Bell Canada Enterprises, Nortel and the Township of Chapleau, collaborating on assessing the sustainability of wireless networks for serving small, rural communities.

“These initiatives bring us one step closer to the Government of Canada’s goal to make this the most connected nation in the world,” said Mr. St. Denis. “By capitalizing on the advantages of technology to increase access to education, health, government and business services, we are giving Northerners the opportunity to enhance their economic and social positions and to participate more fully in the knowledge-based economy.”

On July 15, 2005, Bell Canada and Nortel announced a joint commitment to deliver a pilot project enabling delivery of high-speed broadband to the Township of Chapleau. Project Chapleau will be the first Wireless Mesh Broadband Network pilot in Canada.

The role of the Coordinator/Trainer will be to work with the Bell/Nortel Project Manager to oversee training activities as they relate to the pilot project, conducting pilot sessions for new curricula, and “train-the-trainer” sessions as necessary.

The “Chapleau Area First Nations Broadband Project” will connect three area First Nations (Chapleau Cree First Nation, Brunswick House First Nation and Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation) via a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet solution. This will provide much needed high-speed access to area residents and businesses, as well as government, health and education facilities.

FedNor funds will support engineering costs associated with integrating DSL service for the three First Nations with the Project Chapleau initiative, as well as the purchase and installation of the necessary telecommunications equipment.

NEOnet’s role in this project will be to coordinate the efforts of the project team to ensure the initiative stays on track, on budget and on time. It will also provide Information and Communications Technology (ICT) workshops to make residents aware of the benefits and potential of broadband service while helping area stakeholders develop ICT applications.

“We are pleased to be part of this exciting venture, working with FedNor and building on the tremendous work being done by the Township of Chapleau and its partners,” said NEOnet Chair, Christy Marinig. “This project gives local First Nations the ability to increase their selfreliance while improving the technological infrastructure within the region.”

“This is a momentous day for the residents of Chapleau and the surrounding region,” added Chapleau Mayor, Earle Freeborn. “This community now stands at the forefront when it comes to connectivity and we will be a model for other smaller Northern and rural communities across the country.”

This investment builds on the Government of Canada’s recent $10 million commitment, through FedNor, to bring broadband access to every community in Northern Ontario and an additional $10 million over the next three years to support applications that make effective use of the broadband network. Since 1999, FedNor has contributed $47 million toward connectedness projects, including $22.8 million for telecommunications infrastructure and networking projects, and $24.2 million toward information and communications technology (ICT) applications, promotion and development. As well as working closely with First Nations SchoolNet, FedNor itself in the last eight years has established more than 100 Points of Presence (main Internet access points) serving Northern Ontario communities.

By supporting the Township of Chapleau, area First Nations and NEOnet through its programs and services, FedNor is opening doors and building futures for a prosperous Northern Ontario.

Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.

To find out more about FedNor, visit us at: http://fednor.ic.gc.ca

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For more information, please contact:

Graeme Wilkes
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Andy Mitchell
Minister of State (FedNor)
(613) 947-5850

Mario Paluzzi
Communications Officer
FedNor
(705) 941-2064 or 1 877 333-6673

From the Globe and Mail Update

Bell, Nortel deliver broadband to Northern Ontario
Wednesday, November 9, 2005 Posted at 1:47 PM EST

Project Chapleau, a technology showcase developed by Bell Canada, Nortel and the Township of Chapleau, has started operations in high-speed networking and applications. Project Chapleau is designed to evaluate the economic and social benefits of communications technologies on rural communities.

As part of this technology showcase, Chapleau will benefit from wireless mesh, optical, multimedia communications and enterprise systems using an upgraded optical network. Bell Canada and Nortel have also opened the Chapleau Innovation Centre, where residents can learn about new technologies. Through the Centre they can also connect virtually with the Bell-Nortel Innovation Centre in Ottawa and the technologies and expertise being developed there.

The Chapleau Community Portal — www.chapleau.ca — now provides a virtual meeting place for the community and access to the global marketplace.

From the Canadian Press

Chapleau is now unwired
Thursday, November 10, 2005 Posted at 5:25 PM EST

CHAPLEAU, Ont. — After years of grumbling about the lack of Internet service available to them, residents of this northeastern Ontario community have become unwired.
Bell Canada and Nortel, along with the municipality of Chapleau, officially launched Project Chapleau on Wednesday, marking the beginning of wireless Internet in the remote community about 410 kilometres northwest of Sudbury, Ont.

"We began discussions 15 months ago," Bell Canada CEO Michael Sabia said. "This is the first city in the North using this kind of technology."

A wireless mesh network, made up of a series of radio transmitters, has been positioned around the city of 3,000 people and subscribers were to be activated on Thursday.

"It allows people to walk around the city with their PCs and always be connected," Sabia said.

"This is a very quantum leap forward for Chapleau," said Mayor Earle Freeborn.

"It gives local companies an advantage. They can now compete on an international level."

Chapleau is home to Tembec and Domtar paper mills and is in a region known for its hunting, fishing and eco-tourism.

The project will also give students and teachers more access to educational resources on the internet.

Health services should also be enhanced.

The project will also connect three First Nations in the area to DSL in the next year, Mr. Sabia said.

While it won't be the same wireless internet Chapleau will have access to, the First Nations will nonetheless be connected to services they didn't have before, said Lawson Hunter, Bell Canada's executive vice-president.

Project Chapleau could be a blueprint for other communities.

"There are 2,000 rural and isolated communities in Canada that don't have access to broadband," Mr. Sabia said. "This is not acceptable. Many people will be watching this."

Mr. Hunter said the residents will be provided with free Internet for several months.

"We want people to use it, and we want to encourage people to sign up," he said.