At Chibougamau City Hall: Grand Chief Coon-Come, Quebec Minister Pierre Corbeil, Deputy Grand Chief and ECN chairmain Ashley Iserhoff
"The Cree population is a growing number, almost 15,000 and it is projected to reach 25,000 by the mid 2020s. We have young and growing families. Over 60 percent of our population is under 25 and this group is increasing. We need to create jobs, so that our young people can find a productive place in our society. We also need an atmosphere for new types of jobs for those who have not yet reached the job market." Ashley Iserhoff
Serving Eeyou Istchee and the James Bay region of northern Québec
Official
Construction Launch of the Eeyou Communications Network
Hosted by Mayor Manon Cyr of Chibougamau, ECN held this public event at the Chibougamau City Hall
Statement by ECN Board Chairman, Ashley Iserhoff
In additional to his role as Chairman of the Board of Eeyou Communications Network, Mr. Iserhoff is currently Deputy Grand Chief of the Crees of Eeyou Istchee and is serving his second term.
Chibougamau, April 12, 2010: Today, we announce that Eeyou Istchee and the James Bay region are about to connect across the Digital Divide.
Usually, on the daily news, when we hear a mention of
Broadband or the Digital Divide, the usual reaction among most in our
community, is that this story is about them, not about us. Even though,
like everyone else, we rush in to upgrade, to update and to refresh,
somehow our telecommunications service has remained our weakest link.
Fortunately for both the Cree and Jamesien communities, today we are
here to announce that - finally -- help is on the way.
The Eeyou Communications Network, le Réseau de communications
Eeyou, will connect the peoples, institutions and businesses of the
North and enable a full range of telecommunications services. It will
advance the ways our communities work and advance the work of our communities.
ECN will be more than the delivery of telecommunications services. It
is new technology with a social dimension. It can benefit future economic
and social development, productivity and increased potential for the
region. It is also about employment, about creating technical and management
jobs. It will help create an environment where job-creation will reflect
our innovative interests.
ECN means new jobs and new types of employment in the communities: computer engineering, LAN and networking management, software development, language development programming, opportunities for new business, support services and an avenue for experimental services and pilot projects.
This is a very high capacity, or as experts say, broadband system that will transport efficiently voice, video and data traffic over very long distances and use a unique network topology. We had to push the technology to its limit with fiber optic spans up to 275 km without signal regeneration using wave division multiplexing. This approach will spin off in many ways. ECN will create high-skilled technical jobs in the region and will be a showcase for the development of other remote regions.
The ECN fibre-optic network will impact on education, on health services, on Internet, on video services, on mobile facilities, on public security, on economic development and on the future of our region. Above all, our goal is to bring northern Quebec to the same level of services as all urban regions of Canada and to eliminate the Digital Divide. It is important to us that the network serves the entire region, not just the Cree communities. The Cree population is a growing number, almost 15,000 and it is projected to reach 25,000 by the mid 2020s. We have young and growing families. Over 60 percent of our population is under 25 and this group is increasing. We need to create jobs, so that our young people can find a productive place in our society. We also need an atmosphere for new types of jobs for those who have not yet reached the job market.
ECN will connect 15 centres, 9 Cree communities, 5 Jamesiens localities to St-Felicien to access southern networks. This fibre-optic network will startup with 1400 km of telecom infrastructure to be in place by 2011. Eventually, it will reach out over 2400 km. In phase one, it will reach six Cree communities with fibre and the others with a fibre and microwave hybrid. Eventually we will have complete fiber optic rings to provide a full and robust network.
ECN is unique in more ways than one. It proves that a concerted common approach can be developed among parties that, in the past, have had opposing interests. This project signifies a successful partnership between the Crees and governments of Quebec and Canada, the Crees and Hydro-Quebec, the Crees and the Jamesien residents. It is a joint effort to treat 14 centres in our region with equal services and equal opportunity. It joins the education, health and social services with regional government into one Board. It is a service that represents the common interests of our region and as Chairman, I have worked closely with all major users of telecom services to make sure their present and future needs can be met..
Once the first phase is built, ECN will offer service providers in the South the capability to go North and connect beyond Eeyou Istchee and the James Bay area. It will connect us to St. Felicien for access to a range of service providers, Government services networks and scientific & educational networks. It will be a bridge to global markets. This is a significant breakthrough in technology and we are proud to call it Eeyou.