Batchewana First Nation launches telecom company
Batchewana First Nation is getting into the telecommunications business.
The Indigenous community has a partnership with Bancroft, Ont.-based Northern Rural Networks to launch Batchewana Telecom, aiming to provide affordable high-speed internet, phone and TV service to Indigenous and rural communities across Canada.
Chief Dean Sayers said the need for reliable high-speed internet in rural areas became apparent during the pandemic as students shifted to a remote learning model.
“We’ve been really struggling since COVID with being able to provide equitable access to some really great Internet signal for our kids in our outlying communities,” Sayers said.
“We were able to find a solution, and we thought, let’s see if we can maybe extend this and make it into an entrepreneurial opportunity. And that’s what we did.”
Northern Rural Networks offers expertise in wireless telecommunications technology. CFO Derick Wong said with service already being delivered to communities in Saskatchewan, Batchewana Telecom is set to go national.
“Batchewana Telecom setting up something with the Saskatchewan First Nation is our first step,” Wong said.
“We can look at opening up the former trade routes between Sault Ste. Marie and the First Nations in Saskatchewan in terms of doing that.”
Sayers said the idea of a First Nations-owned telecom company has been shopped around to chiefs across Canada, and the response has been strong.
“It is pretty exciting thinking about the ability of a First Nation to once again find a place in trade amongst not only Indigenous communities, but some of the settler communities, some of the rural communities,” said Sayers.
Batchewana Telecom’s current network is comprised of more than 40 telecommunications towers between northern Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Sayers said the company will be a job creator, with positions to be filled in the near future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.