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Community papers connect remotely housed Albertans to satellite internet rebate
Eligible Alberta households can claim up to $1,000 for satellite internet hardware and installation.
The target audience for a new rebate in Alberta may need the print version of their community newspaper to first learn that the satellite-facing program even exists.
Rebates worth up to $1,000 are available until March 31 for hardware and installation costs to connect certain households to low-Earth-orbit satellites for internet service.
The challenge is that the 10,000 or so rural and remote households that qualify have, by definition, severely limited or non-existent internet access, a rural media roundtable organized by the provincial government heard Thursday.
The eligible homes are in areas of Alberta deprived of traditional ground-based internet because of distance and topography, Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish told about a dozen rural media representatives.
That makes community newspapers distributed along Alberta’s roads less travelled particularly important, he confirmed.
Glubish said major outlets have given the story little attention and “don’t want to talk to me about it. But I appreciate that it's your readers who are going to be more interested in this anyways.”
The program draws from a joint federal-Alberta fund worth $755 million to blanket the province with broadband. The new rebate addresses rural and remote residents that fell between the cracks because — until now — reaching them hasn’t been affordable, practical or even possible, Glubish said.
The difference today is that satellites in low-Earth orbit have become widely available to internet providers and users in Alberta.
Earlier, the government would have had to entice satellite companies to expand their service, Glubish said.
“We knew they were going to expand here anyway, but it was going to cost us tens of millions of dollars to persuade them to come here first, rather than just allowing them to come here as they normally were going to. And that patience has paid off,” said Glubish, the UCP member representing Strathcona-Sherwood Park.
Alberta published a broadband strategy in January 2022 with the goal to hit 100 per cent connectivity by the end of this fiscal year.
The strategy said then that 67 per cent of rural Albertans and 80 per cent of the province’s Indigenous communities had unreliable internet access at federal target speeds.
But today, according to the minister’s office, the needle has moved dramatically.
An estimated 82.2 per cent of households in Alberta First Nations reserves have access to high-speed internet, up from just 19.6 per cent in 2019, the baseline cited in the strategy.
That represents an increase of about 8,400 on-reserve households, the ministry told The Macleod Gazette in an emailed follow-up to the roundtable.
Of all Alberta households, 98.2 per cent now have access to high-speed internet, said a news release on the rebate.
“I know it's been a long time coming. We've been working hard on this for the last four years,” Glubish told the roundtable.
“But I think we’re coming to the tail-end of an important initiative, and it's nice to see that we are getting close to achieving our goal of universal connectivity."
A “significant portion” of federal-provincial funding has gone towards improving reliable, non-satellite internet in Indigenous communities, he said.
“If there are any First Nations communities that are not yet covered, then absolutely, yes, they would be eligible to participate in this rebate program,” he said.
Affordability remains an issue for some rural Albertans, Glubish acknowledged. Living the remote life can be expensive, and paying a premium for internet service is one of those higher costs.
But “the biggest barrier … is the upfront investment for the hardware and the installation. And that's what this program addresses,” he said.
“So this will go a long way to helping anybody in a low-income scenario to be able to get their connection established.”
Connectivity keeps getting more important in the professional and personal lives of Albertans, Glubish said.
He pointed to education, employment, entrepreneurship, and medical and justice services as cornerstones of modern life that the internet has improved dramatically. “If you don't have connectivity, your options are limited."
Households that qualify for the rebate can purchase their satellite hardware and installation while the program is open, with eligible receipts dating from Aug. 11 of this year onward.
Hardware must be purchased from an authorized vendor to qualify. Rebates apply to satellite dishes, receiver kits and installation services and supplies. Receipts are submitted through an online portal.
Find out more at alberta.ca/alberta-satellite-rebate-program — assuming you have a way to connect to the internet.
“I think it's super important to get this message out to our rural newspapers,” said roundtable participant Lisa Sygutek, president of the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association and the publisher and owner of the Crowsnest Pass Herald.
Sygutek also wanted to know how the rebate would be rolled out to Albertans who don’t have the connectively yet to apply or submit receipts online.
The ministry is working with organizations like Rural Municipalities of Alberta and with MLAs to share information on the rebate. It will monitor how effective its efforts are before looking at other communications measures, including direct mailing.
“Our goal is to try and make sure it's very clear that anybody who is likely to be eligible for this will know that this is an option available to them,” Glubish said.
Copyright 2026, The Macleod Gazette. All rights reserved.
George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette.
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Air Canada and United look to renew joint venture deal for Canada-U.S. flights
Air Canada and United look to renew joint venture
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Air Canada says it has signed a deal to renew and expand its joint venture agreement with United Airlines for flights between Canada and the United States.
The Montreal-based airline says the partnership continues to deliver meaningful results for its customers and communities.
The airline has submitted the amended and restated agreement to Transport Canada for approval.
Transport Canada says the two airlines have operated under the arrangement, which allows them to work together on certain routes, since 2022.
Air Canada made the announcement as it released several new routes for flights to the U.S. that will begin next summer.
The airline says it will launch new service between Toronto and Louisville, Montreal and Indianapolis, and Edmonton and Newark. It will also increase capacity between Edmonton and San Francisco.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Durham Region constable charged with assault over incident during arrest: police
Durham Region constable charged with assault
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives
A Durham regional police officer has been charged with assault over an incident the force says happened during an arrest.
Police say Const. Brandon Welsh-Battiste faces one count of assault and has been released on an undertaking.
They say Welsh-Battiste has served three years with the force and has been reassigned to administrative duties until the court case is finished.
He will then face an internal investigation.
Police did not provide any details regarding the alleged assault.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Cette blogueuse prouve que le «corps idéal» n'existe tout simplement pas
Ta mère te l'a sûrement déjà dit: dans la vie, c'est important d'avoir une bonne balance. On parle pas ici d'une balance pour te peser, mais bien d'un équilibre.
Anna Victoria, fille tout à fait normale de 28 ans devenue star d'Instagram, profite souvent de sa tribune pour passer des messages inspirants à ses abonnés. Elle a complètement changé son mode de vie il y a quelques années après en avoir eu marre d'être constamment malade.
Depuis, elle s'efforce de faire comprendre aux femmes que rien n'est jamais parfait, et qu'on devrait toutes se donner un peu de slack.
Si ton objectif de « corps idéal » est la photo de gauche, tu devrais tout de suite réajuster tes attentes! Ce type de silhouette n'existe pas.
Voici 6 réalités à comprendre immédiatement:
1. Ton ventre va enfler après avoir mangé. C'est normal, et ce même si tu t'entraînes comme une folle et que tu manges santé.
Et encore plus normal après un « cheat meal », hyper important pour maintenir un bon équilibre.
Anna pratique le 80/20: elle mange bien 80% du temps, puis se permet 20% de gâteries.
2. Tu n'auras jamais le corps des filles dans les magazines/sur Instagram, puisque ces filles n'ont même pas le corps qu'on voit sur leurs photos.
Tout est une question d'éclairage et de pose!
3. Tu n'as pas de cellulite sur les bras. C'est le miroir de l'ascenseur et l'éclairage qui donnent cette impression à tout le monde.
4. Il va toujours y avoir des plis sur ton ventre quand tu t'assois, même si tu t'entraînes.
5. Les poignées d'amour ce n'est pas une «imperfection». Ça vient avec le fait d'être humain!
6. Les pilules magiques et les thés détox c'est d'la m*arde et ça marche pas!
Voici des résultats réalistes pour 6 mois d'efforts (photo ci-dessus)! Sois réaliste et fière de toi tout au long de ta transformation physique, parce que c'est une longue aventure.
Toute ma vie, je me suis fiée au chiffre sur le pèse-personne pour dicter mon bonheur du jour. -2 livres = une maudite belle journée! +3: cr*ss, j'aurais pas dû manger le 2e burrito hier.
J'ai vécu comme ça pendant un beaucoup trop long moment, jusqu'à ce que je découvre l'histoire d'Anna Victoria, qui m'a fait comprendre c'est quoi être en accord avec son corps.
Tsé le fameux « poids santé/poids naturel », ben c'est vrai qu'il vient tout seul quand tu fais attention à toi-même, quand tu t'aimes, que tu bouges et que tu manges bien non pas pour maigrir, mais pour être bien dans ta tête et ton corps.
Et la shape idéale, c'est pas juste celle de Gigi Hadid ou de Maripier Morin. C'est la tienne également quand tu te sens bien dans ta peau (peu importe ton poids ou l'angle dans lequel tu es placée).
Alors, arrête tout de suite de penser que t'es grosse quand tu vois un plis sur ton corps, cesse de te comparer aux vedettes qui posent et sois patiente. ❤️