News Business
Ag in brief: More rural wifi investments, farmland loss in P.E.I. intensifies

Canada, Ontario invest in internet in Middlesex, Dufferin Counties

The governments of Canada and Ontario will invest a combined $2.3 million to bring high-speed internet to more than 640 homes, farms and businesses in Middlesex County, and 140 homes, farms and businesses in Dufferin County.

In Middlesex County, the areas of Putman, Crampton, Avon, Mossley, Harrietsville, Gladstone, Kerwood, Napperton and Strathroy have been targeted. In Dufferin County, the communities of Maryville, Orton, Prices Corner and Craigsholme are the primary beneficiaries.

The upgrade is part of an ongoing effort to increase connectivity throughout rural Southwestern Ontario. Technology is provided through a partnership with Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT). To date, more than $225 million has been invested in this initiative, which aims to bring high-speed internet to more than 63,000 households and businesses by the end of 2023.

Loss of farmland reported in P.E.I.

According to the CBC, loss of farmland on Prince Edward Island is accelerating. The latest Census of Agriculture, which accounts for the year 2021, indicated a 12.3 per cent loss of farmland over the last five years. P.E.I.’s rate of loss has over-indexed slightly amidst a general trend of farmland loss across Canada. Since 2001, more than 20 per cent of P.E.I.’s farmland has been lost. Read the CBC’s full story here.