Photo Courtesy EGP Staff

By Tanner Smith

High-speed Fibre network

Saddle Hills County begins work on Project Aurora

Mar 13, 2024 | 6:00 AM

Project Aurora, a joint fibre optic project between Saddle Hills County and locally owned Canadian Fiber Optics was officially announced yesterday. (Tuesday, March 12)

This project also got support from both the Alberta and the federal government, with Saddle Hills Reeve, Alvin Hubert, and President, and Co-founder of Canadian Fibre Optics Jodi Bloomer-Kaput thanking them for their funding during the announcement.

Photo Courtesy EGP Staff

Bloomer-Kaput explained the project for anyone unfamiliar.

“In total, building about 1,600km of infrastructure from the Grande Prairie area throughout Saddle Hills and then east all the way to Kinuso, connecting 787 households directly to fiber optic connectivity.”

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The Aurora Project will bring high-speed fibre optic to 80 per cent of Saddle Hills County residents, with work already underway along Highway 2 in Saddle Hills County.

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Bloomer-Kaput, who is also a fourth generation Peace region resident, says she knows this network will come with many positives, as rural Albertans can have “kids stay home and have digital education, homework can be done, not having to drive USB sticks to the city or to the next best connection in order to upload, edit, and use software.”

“From an energy sector standpoint; access to the latest and greatest technologies like predictive analytics, safety monitoring, environmental monitoring, small businesses have a reliable connection for their point of sale.”

A headquarters for Canadian Fiber Optics has already been established in Clairmont, meaning any people using this fibre optic connection are only a couple hours away from a technincian, and will never be left on a call with someone from across the world.

Hubert believes it’s crucial to have this network in the county, especially with it being home grown allowing for quick fixes.

However, he “believes that fiber optic is going to be the most reliable service available, and so we believe that it’s going to be something that’s not going to need a bunch of repairs.”

Hubert also discussed how small the world is becoming thanks to networks like these, and believes people living in rural area’s have a right to take part in it.

“Don’t matter where you live, you’re like in the center of the world you know (with the internet). My farm is kind of out there in the country and I’ve often said ‘Well you know, it’s not that I’m so far from the town, the town is so far from me.’ Where we live in Saddle Hills County, and where our residents live, it’s their world.”

The Aurora Project, which was thought-up at a dinner in Grande Prairie, will take three years to fully complete, but anyone wanting to sign up their household to be connected, can do so by going online.

“NorthernLightsFiber.ca is our main website right now. We’re asking for people to sign fiber access requests so I’ll be asking for your name your contact information so your address your phone number your email address and then whether or not you want fiber directly to your household,” adds Bloomer-Kaput.

Connection will be free for any residents living inside Saddle Hills County, and a second fiber access request form can filled out for any businesses wanting to be hooked up.

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Residents wanting to fill out a fiber access request can click here.

Anyone wanting more information on this project, can visit Canadian Fiber Optics website.