Industry Minister John Manley
announced funding for over 1,000 new CAP (Community Access Program) sites,
in more than 830 rural and remote communities across Canada, representing a
federal investment of almost $15 million.
The initiative is designed to bring Canada closer to the goal of connecting
all Canadians to the Information Highway by the year 2000.
Under CAP’s third round of competition, contracts of up to $30,000 will
be negotiated with community partners. The money will be used to help
provide affordable access to the Information Highway for Canadians
living in rural and remote communities.
Proposals for the Community Access Program are received annually in late
Fall during a national competition. In December 1997, a National Community
Access Selection Committee recommended to Industry Canada that all the sites
proposed receive funding.
The goal of the Community Access
Program is to link up to 5,000 rural and remote communities to the
Information Highway by the 2000-2001 fiscal year. In the 1997 budget the
federal government added $30 million to CAP.
The program is a key component of the Canadian Strategy for the
Information Highway, which helps Canada create jobs, growth, and other
benefits associated with the development of information technology. In
addition, CAP is integral to the federal Youth Employment Strategy, as
CAP sites help develop job opportunities for young Canadians aged 15 to
30.