Wheatland County awards broadband development contract to Shaw Communications

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wheatland County has announced a partnership with Shaw Communications to bring broadband connectivity into the County’s West Highway 1 and Goldfinch Industrial areas.

The contract is for Shaw to provide a fibre-optic network solution to the West Hwy 1 and Goldfinch industrial areas, connect fibre to homes for residents in Cheadle and construct a connection point with Carseland for potential future residential services. 

Cory Adamson, manager of information services with Wheatland County, said that the contract will, among other benefits, help to attract more industrial investment into the local region.

“Council wanted to bring rural broadband to our industrial areas there on the west side … and the reason for that is obviously for investment interaction, for enterprising corporate investors,” said Adamson.

According to a release, the County has stated its intent to provide a reliable and scalable high-speed network to county residents and industry. Once complete, the network will be capable of supporting a host of diverse business needs, as well as providing modern connectivity to residential areas.

“I think it’ll have a great impact, especially for businesses and things that are already in the area. And as well as any other investment that that is looking to come into the county as well,” added Adamson. “Our target was just industrial areas but there’s obviously potential benefits for residents in the future.”

Wheatland County has budgeted $2.625 million for the contract, which is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2024.

Once constructed the network will be scalable, with broadband speeds and capacity capable of supporting industrial growth in the indicated areas, as opposed to being simply designed for existing facilities. 

More information regarding the timeline of the project and background information leading up to the awarding of the contract to Shaw Communications is available through the Wheatland County website.