NDP: Rural families virtually, digitally isolated as Government neglects connectivity

REGINA - Today, Opposition Critic for SaskTel and Crown Investments Corporation Trent Wotherspoon called on the Sask. Party government to address the lack of internet and cellular service outside Saskatchewan’s large urban communities.

“Cell and internet services are not luxuries: They’re essential services in 2022. Whether for business, for school, or just being able to catch the latest episode of Yellowstone, connectivity plays a daily role in all of our lives,” said Wotherspoon. “Yet for so many rural and Indigenous communities, it is spotty at best, nonexistent at worst.”

Nearly a year has passed since the APAS Task Force issued a report on rural connectivity. The report called on the province to leverage crown corporations to increase connectivity for Saskatchewan people. Today, SARM president Ray Orb reiterated at his organization’s annual convention that serious action is needed to improve connectivity.

“Ten of eleven recommendations of the APAS Task Force have been swept under the rug,” Wotherspoon explained. “Meanwhile, the Government is sitting on SaskTel dividends which could be swiftly redirected to help the many Saskatchewan families living in virtual isolation. This is about investing in the future of this province - about the growth and development of all Saskatchewan communities.”

The Official Opposition calls on the Government to bypass pulling a dividend from SaskTel in the coming budget and invest in connectivity in rural Saskatchewan.

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