Doug Ford failing to provide northern families with broadband: Mantha

QUEEN’S PARK – In question period Wednesday, NDP MPP Michael Mantha (Algoma—Manitoulin) told the heartbreaking story of children sitting outside a closed and locked school in order to connect to Wi-Fi to do their online classes, thanks to a lack of unlimited highspeed internet in the community.

“Doug Ford is ignoring the daily hardship faced by northern families during the pandemic who don’t have access to broadband,” said Mantha.

“Premier, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is proof that fast, reliable and affordable internet is an essential service.”

Christopher Maltais, a constituent, has two children. In the Maltais’ community of Goulais River, unlimited internet is not available, which left the family with very few options at the height of the pandemic.

“The Maltais family had only two choices, either pay hundreds of dollars extra for more internet, or send their kids to the schoolyard to access Wi-Fi and do their online classes there, even though the school is closed. Obviously, they chose the second option,” said Mantha.

“If schools have to shut down again in the middle of winter, does the premier expect the kids to still go sit outside to access WiFi, or does he expect the parents to pay hundreds of dollars extra to have a few more gigabytes of internet?” said Mantha.

Mantha said that New Democrats have been calling on the previous Liberal government and the Ford government for broadband infrastructure for northern and rural communities, and both governments have chosen not to do that.

Mantha again called on Doug Ford to invest the funding needed to develop broadband infrastructure, and to work with the federal government and telecommunication companies to bring this essential service to all Ontarians.