The City of Saskatoon is establishing a pilot project to provide free wi-fi internet to approximately 1500 residents.

Celene Anger, Chief Officer of Strategy and Transformation with the City says the Fire Development Centre on Avenue W will serve as the hub for the internet connection which will then broadcast a signal to internet access points on street lamps and power poles.

The pilot area will serve residents within a three block radius of the Fire Development Centre in both the city’s Meadowgreen and Pleasant Hill neighbourhoods.

It’s expected the internet will go live sometime late this summer or early fall. In 2016, the federal government declared internet a basic right for all Canadians.

Anger says the pandemic has made the need for internet access much more important. “Through the COVID pandemic, the City, other orders of government and community organizations, have moved services online. While this has improved service offerings for many, it has created a service gap for many people in Saskatoon.”

Commonly referred to as the “Digital Divide”, the pilot aims to help people currently without or with limited access, gain better access to online services and participate in today’s growing digital society.

The City will be sending out a request for proposals this week, seeking a vendor to deliver wireless internet access points in the designated area.

The pilot is valued at $250,000.