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(L-R) Steven Morissette, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development and MLA for Kootenay-Monashee; Doug Haughton, Director of Thompson Nicola Regional District Electoral Area L; Diana Gibson, Minister of Citizen's Services; Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Lumby; and Marissa Nobauer, Telus's Director of Reconciliation and Community Engagement at Vernon's Civic Memorial Park to make the announcement of improved internet services in the Thompson-Okanagan (Image Credit: Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)
By Liam Verster
High Speed Internet

Joint investment for high speed internet in Okanagan area

Jun 10, 2026 | 4:52 PM

The B.C. and Federal governments are bringing more people in the region better internet service.

A joint investment of $63 million will bring high-speed, fibre-optic internet services to roughly 4,000 households in 50 Thompson-Okanagan communities.

Among the communities benefiting from the investment are the Okanagan Indian Band, Falkland, Glenemma, Kingfisher, Shuswap, Chase, Neskonlith, Sorrento, Notch Hill, Sahhaltkum 4, Silver Creek, Turtle Valley, Skmana Lake, and Yankee Flats.

The province said these internet upgrades, which would provide upload speeds of around one gigabit, would deliver more benefits than just online connectivity.

“High-speed internet is not about convenience, it’s about health care, it’s about accessing a doctor online or getting emergency services where you need them, when you need them,” Diana Gibson, Minister of Citizen’s Services, said at an announcement in Vernon.

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“High speed internet is also about affordability, it’s about being able to study from home where you’ve got child care and are at your home where you can access training and education online. It’s about affordability for businesses wanting to scale and be part of our economic development across the region, people being able to work from home in their communities,” she said.

The enhanced services are expected to be ready and available for these and the other communities by 2029.

“Reliable high-speed internet helps people access services, pursue education, grow businesses and stay connected to their communities,” Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Lumby, stated.

“Through this investment, we are helping more people throughout the Thompson-Okanagan region benefit from the opportunities that connectivity brings, while supporting stronger communities and local economies for years to come.”

—

by Liam Verster
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