Released on April 18, 2002
Meadow Lake today marked its recent connection to CommunityNet,Saskatchewan's public sector high-speed network.
Crown Investments Corporation Minister Maynard Sonntag joined the students
and staff of Meadow Lake's Carpenter High School in an event celebrating
the $71 million broadband telecommunications network that is connecting
public institutions in towns and cities across Saskatchewan.
All of Meadow Lake's schools now have high-speed capabilities, and in the
next few months, remaining public institutions there will receive
CommunityNet connections.
"CommunityNet will give students and citizens across our province fingertip
access to better educational resources and improved health and public
services, regardless of where they live," Sonntag said. "This network has
also enabled SaskTel to expand its high-speed service to another 191
communities - making high-speed Internet more accessible in Saskatchewan
today than in many North American centres."
CommunityNet has already linked 530 schools in 245 communities across
Saskatchewan. By 2003, the network will connect 834 educational
facilities, 310 health facilities, 86 First Nations schools and 256
government offices in 366 communities.
CommunityNet is a partnership of provincial government departments and
agencies, and the public sectors of education and health. The federal
government, through Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), has
contributed $5 million toward the project's first phase that enables
hardware installation for the connection of schools, including First
Nations schools, throughout the province.
CommunityNet will be delivered to Saskatchewan communities through a
combination of new and existing infrastructure provided by SaskTel and the
Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN).
Detailed information on the communities and facilities that will be
connected under CommunityNet can be found on the network's web site at
www.communitynet.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Industry and Resources
Regina
Phone: (306) 787-1691