Full cellular coverage along Highway 16 west, known as the Highway of Tears, is a welcome announcement for Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS), an organization that provides health, social and legal services for Indigenous peoples residing in Carrier and Sekani territory.
Yesterday (April 7), the province announced the Connecting British Columbia program and the Government of Canada's Universal Broadband Fund will provide Rogers $4.5 million towards the $11.6-million cost of installing infrastructure to provide cellular coverage in the remaining areas of weak signal strength between Prince Rupert and Smithers.
Solving the problem of cellular gaps between communities along Highway 16 was among the Highway of Tears Symposium Report's 33 recommendations aimed at enhancing safety for First Nations women and girls.
CSFS says a lack in transportation services and full connectivity have been identified by its leadership for many years.
Communities served by CSFS reside along the busy route, and few Indigenous communities remain untouched by the historic and ongoing tragedies and violence associated with this stretch of road.
The organization says full cell coverage will form an important link to safety and help for those who need it as it will no longer be possible for potential predators to take advantage of cellular ‘dead zones.’
“I’m very pleased that full cellular coverage of this stretch of highway is finally happening,” said CSFS Director of Child and Family Services Mary Teegee in a release today (April 8).
“In addition to supporting the overall connectivity of the region, this commitment also represents a righting of a glaring barrier to safe travel for the people that must use the Highway of Tears. This improved connectivity represents a literal life-line.”
Roughly 70 per cent of Highway 16 already has coverage, but the funding is set to provide 252 km of new highway cellular coverage, closing gaps along the corridor between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
The project is set to begin this spring and Rogers Communications plans to install 12 cellular towers along the highway.
