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“All of this comes down to an economic case," said Whitchurch-Stouffville Councillor Ken Ferdinands. “The costs are just astronom- infrastructure and the numerous natural limita- tions for servicing, which include line of site. ical now " Which is why Mr. Ferdi- nands thinks it’s time for the federal government to step . “I think the federal gov- ernment is starting to rec- ognize they need to develop a national broadband strat- egy because we are falling behind," he said. However, before any money is handed out, it is conducting an extensive mapping exercise in order to understand the extent to which Canadians remain under-serviced or unserved. Results from the WS King Connects Broadband Study And it appears the govem- ment may be headed in that direction as Indusz Canada has recently announced a funding program for broad- band infrastructme. Dial-up Internet only option for some rural residents ~ get rid of the energyguzzling beer fridge - use a thermal blanket on the pool For kids: - turn off televisions, computers and game consoles when done using them - turn off the lights when you leave the room Fortravellers - put indoor and outdoor lights on timers when away - put water heater on vacation mode (if available) Foremployees - use standby mode for copiers and computers - turn all equipment off at the end of the day - dim/tum off lights near windows in the daytime. Source: wwwcountmeinontafla ca/the- 100~ways-to{onserveflndex. 0st ‘ - improve home insulation 10 way; to savé energy have already been submitted to Indusz Canada. There is the potential for more funding through the province’s Rural Connections program, which provides one-third of the funding for project costs, up to $1 mil- lion, with the remaining two- thirds typically being paid for bythe ISP. Indusz Canada is not, however, Whitchurch- Stouflville and King Town- ship’s only option. In March of last year, the province announced the $30-million, four-year initia- tive, which has so far dolled out more than $8 million to 15 municipalities including Simcoe County and the City Of Kawartha Lakes. Yet another option for the two municipalities is wait- ‘ Ken Ferdinands Whitchurch-StouflS/ille councillor ‘There are people who believe a last lntemet connection is an essential service; it’s as indispensable as hydro! sbolan@yrmg.com Whitchurch-Stoufiville residents are being asked to reduce their energy consumption on Friday, Aug. 14, and that includes municipal facilities. Almost 80 communities representing 56 per cent of the province’s population have already committed to reducing their energy usage that day by signing up for the Count Me In! Challenge Day. It just won’t be part of an Ontario-wide contest. Aug. 14 is the anniver- sary of the North American blackout in 2003. “We are very con- scious of the energy we use and we want our residents to save energy Whitchurch-Stouffville has committed to take part. Blackout anniversary marked by challenge Town takes part but won’t count BY SANDRA BOLAN There are approximate- ly 12,000 rural residents in Whitchurch-Stouffville. Some cannot get high-speed Internet service because they ,are in low lying areas or their homes are blocked by trees. If these residents wish to con- nect to the World Wide Web, they have to use dial-up. ing for the lSPs to build their infrastructure â€" when they see fit. “If the lSPs get to bid on areas, they will bid on the eas- iest or cheapest to service," Ms Mustard said of why this is the least attractive option. The municipality defines high-speed lntemet access as having a download speed no slower than 1.5 mbps. The average web page takes 0.39 seconds to load via a 1.5 mbps connection. Mth a dial-up connection, which runs between 40 and 50 kbps, that same web page will take about seven seconds. “It’s pretty significant if you are reliant (on the Inter- net) to conduct your busi- ness,” Mr. Ferdinands said. However, even the stan- dard of 1.5 mbps is “seen as a substandard standard. But that would be seen as a great leap forward for people suf- everyday, not just on a special day," said Mayor Wayne Emmerson. “We don’t want to be a part of these challenges to see who can save the most power,” Mr. Emmer- son said. “Who cares who win's or loses? We all win by saving energy." There are two differ- ent challenges in which municipalities can par- ticipate. One is the high- est percentage drop in electricity consumption between 8 am. and 8 pm. onAug. l4,asmeasuredby the Independent Electric- ity System Operator. The Count Me In! Comâ€" munity Challenge Day is an off-shoot of the Black out Day Challenge devel- oped by the City of Wood- stock. The other challenge is the highest per capita par- ticipation pledge drive. Whitchurch-Stouffville has opted to not partigi- pate in either challenge. fering with eight kbps," he said. “There are people who believe a fast Internet con- nection is an essential ser- vice; it’s as indispensable as hydro." The town has no time line for when It will be notified about the Industry Canada fund and another round of Rural Connections funding has yet to be announced. BLACKSMITH STUDIO INC. WROUGHT IRON WORK alanjoeblacksmithstudio® gmail.com GATES. FENCING RAILINGS LAMPS FURNITURE > Since 2007, Ontario has committed $70 million to upgrade or build broadband infraâ€" structure in rural and remote communities in southern and northern Ontario. Local councillors want more of that money to help lntemet users in Whitchurch-Stouflville and King. SEND MONEY 647.281.4072