Ottawa dollars add pep to Nunavut school Internet links

Premier Eva Aariak announced that broadband access for students across Nunavut has been increased thanks to money from the federal and territorial governments, at an event held Feb. 15 at the Frobisher Inn, while Leona Aglukkaq looked on via a videoconferencing link. (PHOTO BY DEAN MORRISON)

Nunavut students who use the Internet to learn are now getting better connections, thanks to $2.1 million in federal government spending announced Feb. 14.

The money comes from a $21.6 million federal fund first announced in 2008.

“The Government of Canada has consistently supported improved broadband service in communities all across Canada and nowhere is connectivity more important than across the North,” Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq, minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, said Feb. 14 through a videoconference link with Iqaluit.

Aglukkaq spoke from Ottawa to an audience of government officials and Nunavut Broadband Corp. staff at the Frobisher Inn in Iqaluit.

The added bandwidth is meant to make technologies like teleconferencing and data transfers quicker for all Nunavut communities.

Since 2003, the Government of Nunavut has committed to spend $1.8 million on the NBDC’s core operations and will allocate 12.5 megabits per second of satellite bandwidth to classrooms across Nunavut.

“The Government of Nunavut is committed to improving tools that support the education of our youth,” said Premier Eva Aariak, who also serves as education minister.

The GN’s Department of Economic Development and Transportation has committed to spend $375,000 over three years on for management of the project.

For Inuksuk High School student Tina Qaunirq, the announcement is a welcome relief, enabling her to make more effective use of her allotted school Internet access time.

“I use the Internet at least five hours a week,” Qaunirq said. “Faster access has made using the Internet much more enjoyable.”

Communities outside of Iqaluit are given access to the Internet through the NBDC’s Qiniq network, which has about 5,000 customers across Nunavut.

NBDC is a federally registered not-for-profit corporation created to provide affordable broadband service to all Nunavut communities.

The NBDC-funded internet provider, Qiniq, is the only Internet provider that is currently available in every Nunavut community outside Iqaluit.

“Teachers can now use the Internet to embellish their classroom methods, and students can reach out beyond books and videos to the rest of the world,” said Darrell Ohokannoak, president of the NBDC.

The announcement is part of a $21.6 million commitment made by the Government of Canada in 2008.

The federal funding for this project comes from the National Satellite Initiative under the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund.