Simcoe County Warden Gerry Marshall said he’s more optimistic than ever that the federal government will support high speed Internet to rural communities across this part of the province.
Marshall, the vice chair of the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus, (WOWC) said he hopes to have a proposal before Ottawa within four to eight weeks.
“Infrastructure is more than just roads and bridges,” he said. “The wardens have been working on SWIFT (South Western Integrated Fibre Technology) for several years. It is crucial to our economic growth.”
Marshall said “Small town rural Ontario is facing business decisions outside of their scope,” without high-speed broadband networks.”
He said many of the 322 communities within the WOWC don’t even have the opportunity to succeed globally because decisions are made not to go to communities which don’t have high speed service.
Speaking at the WOWC annual meeting in Chatham, he said individual residents are also unable to enjoy the benefits of email, Internet browsing and other activities urban residents take for granted.
Wellington County Warden George Bridge, who is heading economic development issues for the WOWC, said he believes the group is gaining the ear of the province.
“We met with the premier last year and she told us we need to have a unified voice west of the GTA,” he said. “Whether we’re talking a small rural community or a city the size of London, we all have some synergies in key issues.”
Bridge said the group represents 3.5 million Ontario residents but hasn’t been as vocal as it needs to be.
Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope, who was re-elected chair of the group, agreed.
“We’re getting drowned out by the GTA,” he said. “We need to use our strength in numbers and our diversity to make sure our needs are heard.”
Hope said he’s glad WOWC broadened its executive structure.
“I welcome Jerry and George,” he said. “It makes a difference when we have different voices raising the same message. Senior government can’t just say it’s that guy from Chatham. They know we have a lot of people behind us.”
He said the WOWC is coming into its own as a political force.
“We’re a more progressive energetic and unified voice than ever before. We’re just beginning.”
He said the group intends to lobby for greater natural gas availability, as well as infrastructure for transportation.
