Public Notice

September 5, 2025 – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada must determine whether the proposed project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this determination, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination. All comments received will be considered public and may be posted online.

Written comments must be submitted by October 5, 2025 to contact identified on the project page.

The Proposed Project

Whitesand First Nation plans to install underground fiber optic cabling, for Internet purposes, to all residential homes in the region of Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation, Armstrong, Obanga Lake and Waweig Lake. The project involves the installation of approximately 292 km of underground and aerial fiber optic cable from the intersection of Highway 527 and Compressor Starion Rd in Thunder Bay along Highway 527 to the intersection of Airport Rd and Dougs Dr in Whitesand First Nation.

The cable will be buried by directional drilling, trenching, or using existing conduits, or a combination of these methods in existing roadway alignments, but will be suspended on support structures to connect to residential homes and businesses.