High Speed undersea cable makes for connectivity for Haida Gwaii; as Connected Coast work nears 50% completion mark

Placement of an undersea cable stretching from
Bonilla Island to Haida Gwaii makes for
the latest news from the
Connected Coast project

A new milestone has been reached for the Connected Coast communication project, with the arrival of the last bit of 87 kilometres of fibre optic cable stretching across the width of Hecate Strait from the North Coast to to Haida Gwaii.

The pace of that cable laying program was fairly quick as noted in an information update on Monday. 

On June 29, 2022, the cable-laying ship arrived in Tlell and began laying cable across Hecate Strait toward Bonilla Island, building backbone infrastructure for high-speed connectivity in Haida Gwaii. 

Network commissioning and activation activities are expected to occur over the coming months and will begin once this section of cable laying is complete.  

As part of the announcement of the progress, the Province of British Columbia noted as to how the project is closing in on the half way mark for the project timeline.

The arrival of the subsea cable-laying vessel in Haida Gwaii marks the completion of fibre-optic-cable-laying activities between Haida Gwaii and the B.C. coastal mainland, and the first step toward better connectivity for Haida Gwaii residents. 

Announced in 2018, the Connected Coast project will bring high-speed internet to approximately 139 rural and remote communities, including 48 First Nations communities, along the B.C. coast from north of Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii, south to Vancouver and to Vancouver Island. 

The project is approximately 45% complete with more than 500 kilometres of fibre-optic cable laid and 21 landing sites completed.

It's anticipated that the Connected Coast project will be complete by March of next year.

Among those commenting on the latest benchmark for the project were North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice and CityWest Chief Executive Officer Stefan Woloszyn

More notes on yesterday's announcement can be reviewed here.

The arrival of the Connect Coast cable has also been celebrate on the Islands, with Christine Smith-Martin, CEO, Coastal First Nations noting of how the connectivity will serve to bring communities together.

“The digital divide has long been an obstacle that hindered our communities from taking full advantage of new opportunities to improve our well-being — culturally, socially or environmentally. We are thrilled to work with other governments and industry to finally bridge that divide by bringing high-speed internet to our communities. The Connected Coast will spur innovation and create new opportunities for local businesses to thrive in the digital economy and give our young people a chance to succeed while staying close to home.”

Gaagwiis, Jason Alsop, the President of the Haida Nation also commented on the advance in communication opportunities for the residents of Haida Gwaii.

“Technological advances must keep pace with our community needs today and into the future. Self-sufficiency and sovereignty as a Nation requires access to the tools needed to succeed in transitioning our economy and growing our communities in new and exciting ways. Through greater investments and partnerships in connectivity, we can ensure the talents within our communities and the work to uphold our inherent title and rights are shared with a wider audience.”

More on how Haida Gwaii is viewing the new communication link can be reviewed here.

 

A look back at the Connected Coast progress can be found from our archive page.

More notes related to Prince Rupert based CityWest can be found here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.