Digital divide persists in northern Ontario but is improving, study finds

Blue Sky Economic Growth Corp. has released its third annual northern Ontario broadband report. As with the studies of 2023 and 2024, the group found there is a lag in rollout of internet connectivity in the region but that it is getting better. The standard used is 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) for downloading and 10 Mbps for uploading per customer, a standard the federal government set several years ago. According to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), as of November 2024, 95.9 per cent of Ontario households had 50/10 available. That’s up three per cent from September 2023, the Blue Sky report notes. However, if northern Ontario is isolated from these statistics, 75 per cent of households had 50/10 availability as of October 2024, and that number is even smaller when you isolate the five largest communities, according to the report. The five largest communities in the region are Greater Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, and Timmins. These districts account for 46 per cent of the dwellings and 52 per cent of the population of northern Ontario. All the other communities in the region have a population of fewer than 21,000, the report says. A total of 56.6 per cent of those communities have 50/10 service. That is up five per cent from 2023. Looking at broadband project statuses for the entire area, 17 per cent of the projects due to be finished by the end of 2025 were completed as of October 2024. Fifty-four per cent of northern projects included in the report are under construction with a further 29 per cent in the planning stage. The federal and Ontario governments have pledged a total of $1.1 billion for northern Ontario rollout. Considering the entire region, 75 per cent of the area has 50/10 Mbps service, 13 per cent gets by with 25/5 Mbps service, four per cent uses 10/2 Mbps service and eight per cent has 5/1 Mbps service or no service at all. “The path to universal broadband access in northern Ontario remains challenging due to its vast geography and low population density,” the study finds. “However, continued investment and focused efforts from both federal and provincial governments, along with private sector partnerships, are essential to meeting connectivity goals.” Blue Sky used ISED’s data portal and Census Canada’s community data while assembling its report. Blue Sky maintains a mapping tool of Ontario internet access at connectednorth.ca. ppark@thewirereport.ca READ MORE: - Funding gaps, policy shortfalls keeping rural Canada offline, experts say - Closing Canada’s digital divide will take more than reaching 100% broadband coverage, says former CRTC head - Rural, remote communities training local workers to help bridge digital divide - Satellite is ‘here to stay’ as connectivity solution, industry players say

Digital divide persists in northern Ontario but is improving, study finds

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By Paul Park
| February 5, 2025

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| February 5, 2025