Parts of Area C will not receive High Speed Internet

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - As the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) prepares to amend its indebtedness agreement with CityWest, to pay for the installation of high speed internet, Regional Director Jim Abram is concerned that parts of area C are being left out.
Later in the meeting he also mentioned which is o West Thurlow Island.
The maps that SRD staff sent to the directors on April 19th last year do not show the Cape Mudge light house, Cape Mudge or Tsa Kwa Luten Lodge, on the southern tip of Quadra Island, within the service area.
Nor did they include Surge Narrows, on Read Island, or Blind Channel, on West Thurlow Island.
(Cortes Currents posted the complete set of maps on May 4, 2021.)
At that point it was clear that only Cortes Island, the village of Zeballos and communities of Bold Point, Granite Bay and Open Bay on Northern Quadra Island would receive the 90% funding available through the Connected Coast Program. (The SRD is providing the remaining 10%.)
The SRD agreed to borrow up to $12,540,255 so that CityWest could also install high-speed broadband infrastructure in Gold River, Sayward, Tahsis and most of Southern Quadra Island.

Now CityWest has agreed to amend the agreement, so that Regional District will receive 20% return of profits from Quadra Island, Gold River, Sayward Valley and Tahsis for a term of 20 years. In exchange, each community is to make a 5% capital contribution to its last mile construction project. The agreement will stipulate that the capital contributions on behalf of each community will not exceed the construction estimates that are outlined in the agreement.

When this document was discussed at the Wednesday, February 9th SRD Board meeting, Regional Director Abram expressed concerns about the southern tip of Quadra and the principal settlement on Read Island being left out.

“They should be in this written report, so that it carries them forward for future reports. So that we don't lose out,” he said.
Chief Administrative Officer David Leitch explained that the Board had already approved the two funding agreements.

“Okay, but the Surge Narrows build should be in this agreement,” said Abram.

“These are the last mile agreements, these don’t have anything to do with the landings.” replied Leitch.

“How will it be paid, if it's not written up somewhere in this agreement?” demanded Abram.

Leitch explained, “The maps in that agreement identify the homes to be served.”

“I don't have that in front of me because it doesn't come up on my iPad,” said Abram. “Can you assure me, though, that last mile agreements exist somewhere for Blind Channel, Surge Narrows and the [Cape Mudge] Lighthouse?”

Campbell River Mayor Andy Adams asked for a vote on receipt of the staff report.

Chair Brad Unger called for the vote on receipt of the report.