First Nations to benefit from improved Internet access

Northern communities in Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba can now benefit from broader services by satellite thanks to an agreement signed in Kuujjuaq, a community in Quebec's Nunavik region.
An official signing ceremony formalized the joint venture partnership between the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO), the Keewatin Tribal Council (KTC) and the Kativik Regional Government (KRG), and then, celebrated the signing of the agreement between Telesat and the KRG on behalf of this new partnership. The three Indigenous organizations (KO,KRG,KTC) include 45 remote communities in the northern regions of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec which can be reached only by satellite. They formed the Northern Indigenous Community Satellite Network (NICSN) in 2005 as the first inter-provincial community-owned-and-operated broadband satellite initiative in Canada, explains Brian Beaton of Keewaytinook Okimakanak's Kuhkenah Network (K-Net).
The KRG's signing for multiple C-band transponders on Telesat's Anik F3 satellite represents last year's promise for round two of the federal government's National Satellite Initiative. The KRG also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kativik School Board and one with the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services.
"The greatest benefit will be that our residents, businesses and organizations will be able to have improved broadband Internet access. Each individual and organization will determine what applications they want to use, from something as simple as instant messaging or web access for residents to something as complex as tele-health or tele-education," said KRG Assistant-Director, Administration Department, Jean-François Dumoulin.
"Access to health care was a priority when we began this work many years ago," explains K-Net's Brian Beaton. "Today's additional bandwidth means "there are a wide variety of health care applications that can be supported and enhanced using these telehealth communication tools such as mental health assessments and follow-ups for any number of conditions, teleradiology and effective use of electronic health records to better support patients."
"And the list just goes on...," adds Beaton who highlights improved economic and small business development, as well as improved educational opportunities, northern research opportunities for the environment, justice applications, remote water and wastewater plant operation and monitoring and communication-like cellular phone services as benefits.
Dumoulin explains that "residents of the three regions will have access to the services in different ways, depending on what partner serves their region. The partners operate the network backbone jointly, but the local distribution is adapted to the situation in each community. For Nunavik, this service is accessed primarily using Motorola Nextnet wireless broadband equipment. In other regions, cable modems or various other wireless network technologies are used."
At the ceremony, KRG Chairperson Maggie Emudluk said that through this contract, "we are making advanced broadband services available to 13 First Nations communities in northern Ontario, 15 remote communities in northern Quebec and 16 satellite-served communities in northern Manitoba. Broadband connectivity will stimulate economic development and improve quality of life for our citizens through greater access to health, education and other government services."
"We will be able to triple our capacity," said Emudluk. "This upgrade is already helping the north to continue to meet its growing need for internet services." Two more C-Band satellite transponders will be added to NICSN's present single-benefit transponder. This means greater access for a greater number.
Dumoulin, like Emudluk, believes that "by working together we are able to share network resources, learn from each other and access funding that might otherwise be inaccessible if we operated independently." The results are already in effect.
According to Beaton funding for this $27.5 million plus, 11 year initiative ,is coming from the communities being served along with Infrastructure Canada / Industry Canada, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, Quebec's Village Branchés program and Telesat Canada.
"The Manitoba government is not contributing directly to the development of this portion of the project. The different provincial departments that are delivering services and utilizing the network connections are paying the communities and the network for its use."
Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO), is a non-political Chiefs Council serving Deer Lake, Fort Severn, Keewaywin, McDowell Lake, North Spirit Lake and Poplar Hill First Nations in northern Ontario. The Keewatin Tribal Council (KTC) consists of eleven member First Nations in Manitoba including: Barren Lands (Brochet), Fox Lake, God's Lake, God's River, Northlands (Lac Brochet), Oxford House, Sayisi Dene (Tadoule Lake), Shamattawa, Split Lake, War Lake and York Factory, representing about 10,000 people. The KRG, a non-ethnic public organization created thirty years ago under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement has jurisdiction over nearly the entire territory of Quebec north of the 55th parallel , home to mostly Inuit communities.
Launched in 1969, Telesat is an Ottawa-based, privately-held company, which merged the original Telesat Canada with Loral Skynet last October to become one of Canada's leading worldwide service satellite companies. Paul Bush, vice-president of North American sales, explains that "Telesat started in the north in 1972 so that all Canadians could have access to basic services which at that time meant CBC and a telephone line."
Now, it is also about "defining our concept of this country. Do we want to be only seven cities? Or, do we want to exert our sovereignty in the north also?" It is about the vision the nation has of the country.
Bush believes that "most politicians and Canadians should get up there and see what this does." Schools can continue educating; patients can receive health care and so on.
"This satellite service brings roads up there," he said. "I've been fortunate over my career to be able to see the difference this makes and I'm pleased with the way Telesat has been involved in bringing these services to remote communities."
Bush said that given the company's vast experience in satellite coverage here and around the world, it is well-suited to the project. Its Anik F3 satellite that is moving at the same speed as the planet at 37,000 km in space over Canada-will use 24 channels for this new service increase using three transbonders or "repeaters" that receive and repeat signals. Telesat owns 25 satellites worldwide which are located in one of seven orbital parking spots over Canada or one of five in other orbits around the globe.
The original government agreement for the KRG-Telesat project covered a ten-year span to which Telesat has chosen to contribute an additional year.
"This network is an important step and we are very proud of our role in bringing advanced communications services to everyone, no matter where they live," said Bush at the signing ceremony.
True to the spirit of this joint partnership that understands the vital role of northern telecommunications, the official signing ceremony with its full table of participants used interactive teleconferencing and was recorded by live webcast. It can be viewed on the K-Net website in its full-length two-hour coverage, under the heading Celebrating the NISCN Partnership Agreement.