Chapter 2: Internet Use in Northern Ontario
2.1: Communities and Infrastructure
Northern Ontario, the part of the province north of Lake Superior and Georgian Bay, makes up 90% of the area of Ontario but contains only 6% of the population. With a population of almost 750,000 (2001), Northern Ontario has a population density of 0.9 people per square kilometre [54]. The overwhelming majority of this population, however, live in communities on or nearby a major highway or rail line. The area between and beyond these highways and railroads is mostly remote wilderness and can be considered uninhabited except for the odd fly-in native reserve. Major cities include Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, Timmins, Kenora, Elliot Lake, Temiskaming Shores and Dryden. Other communities include Blind River, Thessalon, Bruce Mines, Espanola, Hearst, Kapuskasing, Wawa, Hilton Beach, Desbarats, and many others [54].
A number of telecoms and cable companies serve many of the communities throughout Northern Ontario. Bell Canada, TBayTel, and a number of municipal providers operate telecom services while Shaw Cable, Norcom, Persona Communications, Cogego, and Rogers provide cable television services to the region. These companies offer broadband Internet service in several of their larger markets. A number of resellers also exist throughout the area, most notably Ontera and Vianet. Ontera is the regional reseller of access to fibre backbones in the area.
© Jake Cormier, 2006 [jake (at) stormcloudstudios.com]
Completed as a partial requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Science (specialized)
Department of Computer Science :: Algoma University College :: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario :: Spring 2006