On Parliament Hill

As everyone who lives in rural Canada knows, there are many gaps in cellular service and S.E. Manitoba is certainly no exception. The concerns revolve not only around business development and personal communication, but also safety.

Many of my constituents here in Provencher have contacted my office over the past two years regarding this issue and I have made improved cellular service for S.E Manitoba a high priority. Since being elected in November of 2013, I have worked hard to encourage telecom companies to expand their networks into unserviced areas of S.E. Manitoba. The good news is we have had some early success so far.

Last August I was very pleased to be on hand at the announcement by MTS that they would be extending 4G LTE services in the Piney area. This will allow local residents as well as travellers along Highway #12 to enjoy high speed data access through their cellular phones. The new cellular coverage should reach a wide area – from close to the Lake of the Woods in the east to as far as Zhoda in the west. This should give comfort and peace of mind to residents and travelers knowing that they are now connected via cellular service.

This spring brought more good news as Bell and MTS announced they would be building three new wireless towers along Highway 75 to address concerns about gaps in coverage that have been expressed by residents, businesses, travellers and myself on numerous occasions.

Specifically, the improvements are aimed at creating better cellular service on Highway 75 between Ste. Agathe and Morris, between Morris and Highway 14 and also between Provincial Road 201 and Emerson. This is a big win for the southeast.

In addition to expanding cell service, we’ve also made good progress on the internet side of things. Everyday tasks that were once done in person, such as shopping, communicating, learning and banking, are now done online. To help rural Manitobans have better access to these and many other online services, the Honourable Tony Clement joined me in La Broquerie just over a year ago to announce that more than 4,500 homes in Provencher would be receiving high-speed internet service. For residents who live in communities with slow or no internet, I believe this new access to high-speed services will lead to many new economic opportunities and the creation of new jobs, products and services.

So, while we have had quite a bit of success so far delivering cellular and internet services to previously unserviced areas of Provencher, there is still much work to do. I will continue to work closely with the various telecom companies to ensure that S.E. Manitoba remains in their expansion plans in the coming months and years. The job is not yet finished but we are certainly now heading in the right direction.