Canadian Government Cuts Funding for Public Internet Access
From Global News:
Ottawa is pulling the plug on its support for a program that helps connect Canadians to affordable Internet access at schools, community centres and libraries.
Industry Canada sent out letters on Thursday notifying program coordinators it would not renew funding for the Community Access Program or CAP, a service accessed disproportionately by lower-income Canadians, seniors and those with low computer literacy.
“The Community Access Program was launched in 1995 and has met its objectives,” said Margaux Stastny, a spokeswoman for Industry Minister Christian Paradis. “The vast majority of Canadians are now connected to the Internet at home, while many more have access through their mobile devices.”
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The 30 per cent of CAP centres in libraries may have a chance at surviving, but the others will likely disappear, [Eric] Stackhouse [chair of the Nova Scotia CAP association] predicted.
The program also helps provide jobs to young people aged 15 to 30. In Nova Scotia, CAP centres provide 250 youth a year with part-time employment.
Read the Complete Article
See Also: Community Access Program Website (via Industry Canada)
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
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