Additional Broadband Expansion Project Set to Begin

Wyoming, ON - The County of Lambton, in partnership with the Province of Ontario and Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT), is pleased to announce an additional broadband project set to commence in Lambton County. This project will further enhance the broadband services available to county residents and strengthen the County's title as one of the best served areas of the province in which to live and do business.

"The project spans five local municipalities and covers a large rural area in south central Lambton," says County Councillor and Mayor of Brooke-Alvinston Dave Ferguson. "The community as a whole benefits from having high-quality broadband, especially our rural areas."

The contract, awarded to Brooke Telecom, includes almost 150 kilometers of fibre passing approximately 530 properties throughout Brooke-Alvinston, Enniskillen, Warwick, Plympton-Wyoming, and select areas of Petrolia. The predominantly rural project spans from Highway 21 on the west, east to the County's eastern border, and from Confederation Line to the north, south to Rokeby Line.

After the contracts for the first four Lambton County SWIFT projects were finalized in 2019, there was further funding available but not enough to fully fund the next highest scoring bid.

Lambton County Council made the decision to leverage the $762,000 of unspent federal, provincial and municipal funding and move forward with this bid, project #5, by contributing the difference of approximately $2.6 million.

"I am pleased that Lambton County Council agreed to contribute the additional funding required for this project and extend the SWIFT broadband project further into areas of rural Lambton County," said Lambton County Warden and SWIFT Board Member Bill Weber. "We know broadband connectivity is crucial for both our businesses and our residents, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need for this service throughout the County, now and in the future."

This project is expected to break ground April 1, 2021, with an anticipated completion date of November 30, 2022.

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Please contact:

Bill Weber                                                      
Warden                                                           
County of Lambton                                         
519-649-6885                                                  
Email Warden Bill Weber              

Robert Wilks
Corporate Manager, IT
County of Lambton
519-845-0801 ext. 5418
Email Robert Wilks