(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Technology Upgrades

Lakeland council gives final nod to high speed Internet plan

Jan 12, 2021 | 1:26 PM

A proposed plan to provide high speed Internet for residents in the Emma Lake and Christopher Lake areas, has received a second and final green light.

Following some public backlash, council agreed to go back to SaskTel and look at other options. But after seeing the cost to have a fibre-optic based internet service would be over $9.2 million, with no options for grants this year, council ultimately decided Monday the $1 million DSL 10/1 broadband plan was more feasible. The cost will be shared by the respective 1,900 property owners.

Brian Zimmer was among the residents who wrote a letter to council expressing support for the proposed plan. He told paNOW he currently uses another provider and explained it is not very reliable, especially when there is a storm in the area.

“As residents we are there full time and we do a lot of work from home and so we really need that reliable Internet,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, if SaskTel comes out there, it’s going to make a huge difference.”

Opponents argued they should not have to pay for the construction, and felt other providers could deliver a better service. But council argued only SaskTel’s hard-wired option was reliable, specifically when it comes to holding up during the region’s summer and winter storms.

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A survey was conducted last summer to weigh public opinion and had a 55 per cent response rate – 52 per cent said they did not like SaskTel’s offer (597 properties) and 48 per cent were in favor of it (559). Weighing the results, council opted to go ahead with the plan, which opponents argued was not right. Zimmer said he felt the negative feedback council received was not fair, adding his belief was that at least some of the people voicing opposition, were the same people who helped elect council last August.

“You know we elect our leaders to make decisions we don’t feel comfortable to make so I think both the council and reeve should be commended and be given a pat on the back for having the vison to enter into an arena where we know we are going to need better technology right now, not tomorrow,” he said.

In a statement Tuesday from SaskTel, once the District of Lakeland formally signs the Memorandum of Understanding to proceed with the DSL build, construction would start this summer, taking at least two construction seasons to complete. In response to concerns related to service speed, the statement explained SaskTel currently delivers Internet to over 460 communities using the DSL network.

“And the base infrastructure can be adjusted to provide faster speeds, up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) or faster, which is more than adequate for meeting most household needs,” the statement said.

At their February meeting, council will discuss the bylaw that will lay out the payment plan. In accordance with the Crown’s community participation program, the amount owed to SaskTel will be shared amongst the property owners in the Emma and Christopher Lake, which works out to roughly $600 each, but can be paid up front, over five years, or 10 years.

A similar initiatives was previously approved in the McPhee Lake and Anglin areas, at costs of around $60,000.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell