COMMUNITYNET CONNECTS BIRCH HILLS

Released on May 30, 2002

Birch Hills today celebrated its connection to CommunityNet, Saskatchewan's

public sector high-speed network.



Premier Lorne Calvert joined the students and staff of Birch Hills School

in celebrating the first-year anniversary of CommunityNet, the $71 million

broadband telecommunications network that is connecting public institutions

in towns and cities across Saskatchewan.



Birch Hills School was one of the first schools connected to CommunityNet,

thanks in part to pre-existing local infrastructure. The other public

facility in Birch Hills, its health centre/lodge, will be connected in the

coming months.



"In one short year, CommunityNet has grown exponentially - and we are proud

of every single connection that is allowing our students to access a world

of information and resources," Calvert said. "CommunityNet is meeting the

needs of Saskatchewan's students, arming them with the tools they need to

succeed in the new economy, and allowing us in government to better serve

every citizen of this province."



In its first year, CommunityNet linked 530 schools and 36 regional colleges

in 245 communities across Saskatchewan, including Birch Hills School. The

program was recently expanded to include libraries, and CommunityNet has

enabled SaskTel to expand delivery of its high-speed commercial services to

another 191 communities, including Birch Hills.



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 is being 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.



-30-



For more information, contact:



Bob Ellis

Industry and Resources

Regina

Phone: (306) 787-1691