Ottawa invests nearly $97M in Manitoba fibre project

The Liberal government’s latest investment under the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) will help connect up to 7,875 Manitoba households to high-speed internet over the next two years. On Monday, Northern Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, Man.) revealed $96.8 million in federal funding for a new 1,224-kilometre fibre buildout spanning across the Prairie province. Based in Winkler, Man., Valley Fiber Ltd., which dubs itself ‘Manitoba’s rural internet provider,’ will construct new networks from Gillam, in the province’s north, to Barkfield, near the Canada-U.S. border. In total, Valley Fiber will connect approximately 50 rural and remote Manitoba communities, including 2,080 Indigenous homes in areas like Black River First Nation and Fisher River Cree Nation. The project, estimated to cost $165 million, is scheduled to be completed by March 2028. “High-speed Internet is critical infrastructure that helps communities grow and thrive,” read a statement from Chartrand, Manitoba’s lone representative in cabinet. “Investments like this help close infrastructure gaps, create new opportunities and ensure Canadians can stay connected no matter where they live.” In a related announcement, the Canada Infrastructure Bank promised to loan an additional $26.9 million to the initiative. The federal government has committed to connecting every household in Canada to high-speed internet, which Ottawa defines as 50/10 megabits per second, by 2030. As of last month, 97.4 per cent of all homes had broadband access, though Manitoba residents fell below the national average (94.1 per cent). In fact, Manitoba has the third-lowest connection rate among all Canadian provinces, ahead of only Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. According to federal data, Manitoba is expected to reach 97.1 per cent connectivity by the end of the year. The feds have committed to a national average of 98 per cent connectivity by the end of 2026. The Manitoba investment is the latest in a string of federal announcements under the UBF, which has recently supported projects in Nunavut, N.W.T., Alberta, B.C., and New Brunswick. As first reported by The Wire Report, the Liberals aren’t expected to renew the multi-billion-dollar UBF after it expires in 2029, leaving some to question the future of fibre-based broadband expansion in Canada. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

Ottawa invests nearly $97M in Manitoba fibre project

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By Davis Legree
|June 22, 2026

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Ottawa invests nearly $97M in Manitoba fibre project

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By Davis Legree
|June 22, 2026