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THREAD: A few of us from the County held our own #AMOConf2020/ #AMOConf20 at a hotel... because we have poor Internet at home, and want to connect to a virtual @AMOPolicy conference. As elected officials, we struggle to do our the jobs we are elected to do because we can’t 1/ https://twitter.com/kellyelliottmcm/status/1295810847084871681
connect to the Internet, as our urban counterparts can do. Throughout this entire pandemic, I’ve continued to go into Council chambers to attend “virtual” meetings, because I can’t connect at home. The one time I tried, it was a @MLHealthUnit and I couldn’t speak to an 2/
important issue representing my community, because of my poor connection and I kept getting booted out of the meeting. When @SteveClarkPC and @fordnation gave the ability to municipalities to govern electronically to better serve our residents during a pandemic, many of us 3/
simply couldn’t. More importantly, it wasn’t just us. Our students couldn’t connect to do their schoolwork. Our citizens couldn’t connect to work from home. Our residents couldn’t connect virtually with their health care professionals. Everything that many take for granted, in 4/
rural Ontario, we couldn’t do because we cannot do something as simple as connect to a reliable Internet connection. For our rural and small communities to prosper, connectivity is imperative and we need all levels of government to work together to make it happen. 5/
. @WillBoumaBrant spoke to this in our @scorregion delegation with @LaurieScottPC today. We all need to work together - at the municipal level, the provincial level, and the federal level with @cathmckenna, @NavdeepSBains and @MaryamMonsef. The success of our communities 6/
depends on this. The success of our residents depends on this. In the 21st century, a reliable Internet connection is an essential service, and the pandemic has highlighted the divide that has existed for years. We have to put a stop to it. #SmallTownsMatter #RuralMatters 7/end
