Official launch of the NICSN NSI-r2 project providing additional bandwidth in remote communities
On Wednesday (Oct 15) afternoon, the Kativik Regional Government complex in Kuujjuaq in Northern Quebec will be the site of signing of the official agreements that will officially launch the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN) Round 2 of the federal government's National Satellite Initiative (NSI).
The project is adding two more C-Band satellite transponders to NICSN's existing single public benefit transponder.
The celebration will be webcast starting at 2 PM, EST. It will be broadcast live from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik Territory in Northern Quebec. The link to the live webcast is mms://66.165.102.248:1800 (you can also get to the webcast from the http://knet.ca announcement box).
Representatives from the Kativik Regional Government (KRG – northern Quebec), Keewatin Tribal Council (KTC – northern Manitoba) and Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO – northern Ontario) will meet with the other partners involved with this project in Kuujjuaq (Nunavik Traditional Territory in northern Quebec) to officially launch the project. The other partners in this Private - Public - Not-for-profit innovative project are Telesat Canada along with the federal government and the Ontario and Quebec provincial governments.
The three indigenous organizations (KO, KRG and KTC) represent 45 remote communities in the northern regions of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec which can only be reached with satellite connections. These Indigenous communities and their organizations formed the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN) which was officially launched in January, 2005 (see http://nicsn.knet.ca for more information about NICSN).
Together, the partnership began the long process to access additional satellite bandwidth to serve the needs and priorities of the communities requiring broadband satellite connections in the spring of 2005. A comprehensive business plan was submitted to Industry Canada's National Satellite Initiative (round 2) in June 2006. The Kativik Regional Government (KRG) is the project lead. The project was approved for funding in the fall or 2006 but the official announcement of the project was only received in August 2007. Since that time all the contracts and government approval processes had to be completed leading up to this official launch of the project.
With these two additional transponders that were made available for the communities this past month (September, 2008), the NICSN team is now equipped to better serve the people living in the far north.
Funding for this $27.5 million plus, 11 year initiative is coming from the communities being served along with Infrastructure Canada / Industry Canada, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, Quebec’s Village Branches program and Telesat Canada.
The agenda for the gathering follows ...
The event will be held in Kuujjuaq, at the KRG complex, 1st floor conference room at 2pm (1pm Central) Oct. 15, 2008
- MC: Welcome
Present purpose of the gathering, to sign joint venture partnership between KO, KTC and KRG, and to celebrate the signing of the agreement between Telesat and KRG on behalf of the new partnership.
a. Maggie Emudluk, Chairperson KRG comments
b. Geordi Kakepetum Executive Director KO comments
c. Sharon McKay (by Videoconference) CEO KTC comments
d. signing of the JV partnership agreement
- MC: introduce Telesat agreement
a. Paul Bush, VP Telesat comments
b. Symbolic signing of the agreement between KRG and Telesat
- Exchange of gifts: Between partners and from the partners to Telesat
- MC: Announcement
renewal of the agreement between KRG and Kativik School Board to provide network and videoconference service in schools
a. Annie Grenier, Director General of KSB invited to comment
b. Signing of the KSB-KRG MOU
- MC: Announcement
new agreement between KRG and Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services to provide network and videoconference service in Hospitals and CLSCs
a. Gilles Boulé, Director General of NRBHSS invited to comment
b. Signing of the NRBHSS-KRG MOU
- MC: Introduce Maggie Emudluk
to make special announcement concerning residential Internet service in Nunavik
- MC: Invitation for other guests to speak
Carl Seibel - FedNor, Randy McAllister / Mark Vermette – NOHFC, Makivik, Johnny Adams, and others
- MC: Thanks to participants, close of ceremony.
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Telesat to bring IP services to the North
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Thu, Oct 16, 2008 8:00 AM EST
Satellite service provider Telesat is helping to provide bandwidth for broadband Internet services to Native communities across the North with the signing of a new agreement with the Kativik Regional Government.
The Ottawa-based company said the KRG signed an agreement on behalf of the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN) that aims to bring Internet protocol (IP) broadband services to 44 First Nations communities across northern Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba.
The long-term agreement will see the NICSN using multiple C-band transponders on Telesat's Anik F3 satellite, as part of a federal government initiative to invest in satellite infrastructure as a means of bringing advanced communications to communities in the north.
"Telesat's Anik F3 satellite is ideally suited to provide much needed services to Canada's northern communicaties," stated Paul Bush, Telesat's vice-president of North American sales. "Telesat has worked for many years with the northern communities to improve access. This network is an important step and we are very proud of our role in bringing advanced communications services to everyone, no matter where they live."
The agreement aims to bring advanced broadband services to 13 Native communities in Northern Ontario, 15 in Northern Quebec and 16 satellite-served communities in Northern Manitoba, including tele-health, e-learning, e-justice, video conferencing and voice-over-Internet-protocol services.
Funding for the NICSN-Telesat agreement is provided mainly through
Infrastructure Canada's National Satellite Initiative, formed in 2003. The Quebec and Ontario provincial governments have also provided further
Financial assistance through their respective Villages branches du Quebec and Northern Ontario Heritage Fund programs.