Showcasing Innovation Series: Town of View Royal presents its vision for a municipal fibre optics network (Sept 12)
The meet-and-greet for Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation in View Royal starts at 8:30am. Program concludes at 2:30pm after a walkabout. To download the agenda, click here. To register, contact Marlene Mullett at either 250-479-6800 or mmullett@town.viewroyal.bc.ca Registration will be capped at 32.
Showcasing Innovation in View Royal
The Town of View Royal is the host municipality for the first of three events in Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation: The 2008 Series. The Town will 
showcase its Transportation Master Plan, with the spotlight on the implementation strategy for reconstruction and enhancement of the old Island Highway in phases. “Through a comprehensive consultation process, the community has embraced a holistic, ecosystem approach that looks for opportunities and synergies to achieve multiple objectives when replacing and/or retrofitting municipal infrastructure,” reports Emmet McCusker, Director of Engineering.
Vision for Municipal Fibre Optics Network
The Town of View Royal has a vision for a regional fibre optic network owned by local government. “In an age of senior government downloading, combined with higher community expectations for more and more services, we see a fibre optic network creating opportunities for local government to generate new revenue streams,” states Emmet McCusker, Director of Engineering. “Someone has to take the first step, and then others will follow. Installing a duct to make provision for a future fibre optic cable just seemed the right thing to do while we have the Island Highway dug up.”
“Initially, we thought View Royal was venturing into uncharted territory,” adds Emmet McCusker. “We have since learned that the City of Coquitlam started laying duct some 20 years ago in conjunction with its roads improvement projects, and is now moving to the next stage by installing the cable.”
Linking the Internet to Green Infrastructure
After the walkabout, Gareth Shearman and Garth Graham of the Victoria Free-Net Association will tag-team to paint a picture of the technical and social implications, respectively, of what it would mean for local government to own a 
fibre optic network. “In 1992, the Victoria Free-Net Association established a Canadian first when it provided dial-up access to the Internet,” reports Gareth Shearman, President of Victoria Free-Net. “Garth Graham and I will address the issue of a connected society and what this may ultimately mean for the future of our society. We will also address how municipal ownership of a fibre optic network links directly to the use of the Internet for implementation of green infrastructure strategies.”
According to Garth Graham, “Internet service in Canada and the United States is rapidly falling behind. A number of other countries are providing their citizens with 
much superior service. We don't have to accept this situation. If Canada's municipalities wish to remain competitive they should look at deploying fibre optic cable.”
“Treat it as just one more civic utility,” continues Garth Graham. “If you are already delivering water and sewer services why not also deliver electronic communication facilities? If you have that road dug up anyway, don't neglect to at least install the conduit; the fibre can be added later. The status quo is not serving our needs. Municipalities can address this lack and by so doing empower their citizens for to-day's Internet society.”
According to Emmet McCusker, the View Royal vision is that the municipalities in the region would own the duct and the cable and would contract out the system maintenance. “We believe that business nodes will spring up along this communication pipeline. The green infrastructure context is that we will be providing Wi-Fi connections at bus stops. Also, enabling access to a fibre optic network offers the potential for greenhouse gas reduction benefits by encouraging people to work from home.”
About the 2008 Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation Series
Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation in View Royal is the lead-off event for Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation on Vancouver Island: The 2008 Capital Region Series:
The goal is to promote networking, inform and educate practitioners, and help local governments move ‘from awareness to action’ in doing business differently — The New Business As Usual — through sharing of approaches, tools, experiences and lessons learned that will ultimately inform a pragmatic strategy for climate change adaptation.
Posted September 2008