APAS Rural Connectivity Task Force Releases Final Report

Mar 31, 2021

The Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan Rural Connectivity Task Force spent six months researching the issues around poor rural internet and cell service.

The report lists a total of 43 recommendations that fit into seven main categories.

Working Together - Supporting shared access to infrastructure and fair partnerships between service providers.

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen - Simplifying Canada’s regulatory structure for greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency.

The Importance of Smaller Internet Service Providers - Supporting competition within the industry to ensure smaller players can survive, thrive, and support universal internet access.

Optimizing Public Resources - Optimizing government funding and managing spectrum effectively.

Regaining and Retaining Canadian Excellence - Ensuring that Canada takes a leadership role to build long-term sustainability within our telecommunications industry and infrastructure.

Taking Control of the Saskatchewan Advantage - Leveraging our Crown Corporations to ensure that Saskatchewan plays a leadership role in achieving universal connectivity and realizing the social and economic benefits that come along with it.

Consumer Protection - Ensuring consumers are guaranteed high-quality, affordable internet service

Task Force Chair Jeremy Welter says seeing companies work together to support and share access to infrastructure, and simplifying Canada’s regulatory structure for greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency

make sense.

"SaskTel doesn't have to be the ultimate answer for every problem. You know SaskTel can very, very easily choose to work with smaller providers."

He notes they'd like to see shared access to infrastructure and fair partnerships between service providers including working with those smaller internet service providers.

"In a case like that, it's a case where everyone wins, the rural people living in the area win by getting good reliable accessible internet service. You know SaskTel wins because they are providing industry solutions to these companies, and these companies win. It's a made in Saskatchewan solution."

The RCTF recommendations were ratified by the APAS membership at their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday.

The Rural Connectivity Task Force has outlined key actions over the next 12 months to advocate for policy changes based on their recommendations.

You can find a copy of the APAS Rural Connectivity Task Force Report here.

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Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.