ARICHAT: Officials in Richmond County are looking into new provincial funding opportunities to bolster cell and Internet signals in a pair of long-time trouble spots, while simultaneously pledging to look into all parts of the county that have experienced similar issues.
Richmond municipal councillors have voted to authorize municipal staff to proceed with funding applications to the provincial government’s Municipal and Community Rural High Speed Internet Funding program with regards to the Framboise-Fourchu and Dundee-West Bay areas.
At the same time, council approved an amendment to the original motion by Isle Madame councillor James Goyetche, which calls on the municipality’s Director of Public Works, Chris Boudreau, to examine opportunities for other areas of the municipality that have little or no cell and Internet service.
Speaking to The Reporter following council’s December 22 meeting in Arichat, Warden Brian Marchand also confirmed that Richmond officials are hoping to join forces with their counterparts in Inverness County on a potential joint funding application to address the Dundee-West Bay region.
“We’re going to be discussing it with Inverness and we’re hoping to put together a package application with them,” Marchand explained.
“So, that one will be looked at, as well.”
While he noted that the timing of the December 22 motion was connected to a December 31 deadline for applications to the Municipal and Community Rural High Speed Internet Funding program, Marchand added that the municipality will continue to pursue other means of addressing individual communities’ concerns regarding cell and Internet service, including the construction of a new telecommunications tower in northeastern Richmond County to improve service in the Framboise-Fourchu area.
“We’ll be looking at that,” Marchand confirmed.
This is not Richmond County’s first attempt at addressing residents’ concerns regarding inadequate cell and Internet service in portions of the municipality. Officials with Richmond and Inverness counties reported last spring that they were continuing discussions on the cost of erecting towers to address problem areas within the two counties, and Richmond officials met twice in Halifax with Cape Breton-Richmond MLA Michel Samson nearly a year ago to investigate potential solutions to the recurring issue.
In previous negotiations with provincial and corporate funding sources, Richmond County was unsuccessful in its attempts to replicate a deal reached between the Municipality of the County of Victoria and Bell Aliant to partner on upgrades that took place at two Victoria County cell towers in mid-2015.