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Close cellphone gap is next EORN project
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
emergency services to be able to connect during an event.” The EORNupdate report noted that, right now, Eastern Ontario has two primary mo- bile phone service providers through their relay towers. About 71 per cent of the region has cellphone service available. There re- mains a coverage gap of 14.1 per cent where no cell service exists within populated areas of the region and a 1.8 per cent gap for areas where few or no people live. There is also a 12.9 per cent total area within the region where there is no demand for mobile service. EORN’s Cellular Gap goal is to improve cellular coverage to 86.4 per cent, reducing the coverage gap in populated areas of the region to about half a per cent and make Eastern Ontario “one of the best connected regions of Canada.” While increasing the capacity for cellular service in the region, EORN wants Eastern Ontario to serve as a “test pilot” for a public safety broadcast network setup.This would be a standalone network system to provide police and other first-responders with a secure communications setup so they can be sure of being in touch with each other during an emergency situation. EORN planners are now working on a business case to present to the provincial and federal governments either by the end of the year or early in 2017 on the projected cost to combine both the Cellular Gap and the Broadband Safety Network proposals. A preliminary estimate is such a combined program could cost $247 million, which would be about $50 million less if each was done on its own at different times.
Better cellphone service and a better, safer broadband communications network are the next goals for Prescott-Russell’s regio- nal digital information project. Jim Pine, spokesman for the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) pro- ject, outlined the next goals for EORN to the United Counties of Prescott-Russell council (UCPR) during a June 22 presentation on the history of the project and its success to date. EORN is one of the economic develop- ment improvement initiatives of the Eastern OntarioWardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and Pine noted that the UCPR has played a key role in EORN’s success. “Your counties have been one of the big leaders,” Pine said, noting that EORN has achieved its primary goal since it began im- proving overall access to high-speed Internet service for EasternOntario, including exten- ding high-speed access tomany rural “digital potholes” in the information superhighway which had just slow dial-up service. Pine observed that in Eastern Ontario, more than 425,000 homes and businesses now have access to broadband service of at least 10 megabytes per second through ex- tension of fibre-optic cable links throughout the region. The EORN project, through a
JimPine, representative for the EasternOntario Regional Network, outlines to counties council a plan for improving regional cellphone service and also strengthening Prescott- Russell’s broadband safety net. —photo Gregg Chamberlain
partnership between the EOWC, senior go- vernments, and the private sector, has also helped provide fibre-optic links to 63 busi- ness parks within numerous municipalities. “That (digital linkage) is an economic development tool we feel is important for businesses to grow,” said Pine, adding that the $175million investment through EORN to enhance business Internet access works out to a $260million value-added feature for
Eastern Ontario’s business sector. EORN will continue to improve high- speed access for the region even as project planners shift attention to the next priorities: closing the cellular gap for Eastern Ontario’s mobile phone setup and strengthening the region’s broadband safety net. “This is also important for economic development,” said Pine. “It’s also impor- tant for police, fire, ambulance, and other
Nouvelle DG à l’ACFO
Keep Ontario RED, say counties
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GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
revitalization and other efforts in small com- munities to both encourage local businesses to stay and foster new growth.
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Getting rid of the Rural Economic Develop- ment (RED) program is a bad idea in the minds of the mayors of Prescott-Russell. The United Counties of Prescott-Rus- sell council (UCPR) voted unanimously, agreeing to support a resolution fromSouth Dundas Municipality telling the provincial government to drop its plan to suspend the existing RED plan in favor of melding it into the new Jobs and Prosperity Fund program (JPF). Both SouthDundas council, in neighbou- ring Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry counties, and Champlain Townshipmunicipal council have each raised separate objections to the provincial government proposal, stating that the JPF program’s emphasis on application approvals, for projects in categories where the minimum amount has to be either $5 million or $10million in costs, favors urban communities with larger economic develop- ment aid projects, and will leavemost small rural municipalities out of the running for funding aid. Another criticism of the JPF program is that its application focus is restricted to private sector and industrial applications. The RED programwould allow funding ap- plications for projects aimed at downtown
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L’Association canadienne française de l’Ontario de Prescott-Russell (ACFO PR) a récemment nommé Liette Valade à la direction générale. « Nous sommes très heureux que Mme Valade se joigne à l’équipe de l’ACFO PR. En s’appuyant sur un CA dynamique et compétent, la nouvelle directrice générale s’est fixé comme objectif de rendre l’ACFO PR plus présente, plus efficace et plus représentative de la population régionale », a déclaré Nathalie Ladouceur, présidente du CA. Forte d’une expérience en gestion de projets, Mme Valade a occupé des postes clés au sein de lamunicipalité de Hawkesbury dont celui de directrice du service des loisirs et de la culture. Elle a également occupé le poste d’animatrice culturelle dans les écoles élémentaires et secondaires françaises de l’Ontario. Elle aura comme premier mandat de se pencher sur le plan stratégique de l’organisme et de produire le plan opérationnel qui doit en résulter.
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Michael J. Houle Q.C./C.R., B.A., B. COMM., LL.B. CELL.: 613-794-0024 mjhoule@clllp.ca
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