Construction of high speed broadband infrastructure has been completed on Pelee Island.
Installation is now rolling out homes, businesses and government offices on the island.
The work began in 2021 and Mayor Cathy Miller says COVID really highlighted how disconnected the island was.
"The Township of Pelee has been affected by not having acess to those different services reliably," she said. "Even myself, to not even be able to have a Zoom call with different levels of government that I need to connect with. People being able to learn remotely, work remotely, all of those things and when you go down the path a little bit futher, we're in an area where we don't necessarily have reliable cell coverage."
She says the project was made possible through federal and provincial funding.
"We're very fourtuinate that at the provincial level, the [Improving Connectivity for Ontario] fund, and at the federal level, the [Universal Broadband Fund] fully funded this project to connect Pelee Island to the mainland. So without that, we wouldn't be able to do this. It's an estimated $20 million project."
Miller says this will assist nearly 500 homes, businesses and government offices on Pelee Island.
"It also connects about 400 on the mainland too, so through Elmdale and Tilbury," she said. "It gives off a little bit of a new view on growth on Pelee Island, and the way people can live and stay on Pelee Island, and enjoy it a little bit differently."
Customer installations on the island are being prioritized to households that will be occupied over the winter season.
Seasonal household connections will begin in the spring.
