By John Francis
It’s Saturday night as I write this. As happened every weekend last summer for me and other Rogers 5G internet customers in Tobermory, my computer “Could not connect to the internet”. Last year it didn’t get that bad until June; this year it’s starting in April. But even that is better than my previous provider, Eastlink, with whom I got “Could not connect to the internet” at some point every evening, all year.
On the other hand, I have pretty good cell service here in Tobermory.
With the recent (long awaited) fibre installation, people in Lion’s Head now have much better internet, but they still have terrible cell service.
People at Dyers Bay and Cape Chin have neither good cell service nor good internet.
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This is an election year for municipalities across Ontario. Councils throughout the province are three-and-a-half years in to a four-year term.
At the beginning of the current term, the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula (MNBP) hired a facilitator to hold a Strategic Planning exercise for Council and Staff. Here is the highest priorities from that exercise:
• A need for modernizing the water / wastewater infrastructure and managing the challenge of the regional logistics associated to this.
• Elevating the Exposure and Status of the unique challenges Northern Bruce has as a transient playground for the larger southern population of the province.
• Modernizing recreational facilities and opportunities that service the local population living year round in the municipality.
• Addressing vulnerable medical needs and doctor shortage.
• Planning housing development that meet the diverse needs of the entire local demographic, including seniors, while not losing sight of the transient/seasonal housing needs as well.
• Modernizing communications technology {Internet, cell phone, emergency measures) to meet the current needs while being in a position to satisfy the future needs as well.”
Council and staff have been working diligently to find funding for our community’s highest priorities, but there are no breakthroughs on the horizon. I imagine it’s been a frustrating three-and-a-half years.
