Dozens of southern Alberta communities will soon be connected to high-speed, broadband internet. (Image Credit: (c) Zakidrus | Dreamstime.com)

By David Opinko

High-speed internet coming to dozens of rural southern Alberta communities

Jan 30, 2026 | 2:38 PM

The Governments of Alberta and Canada, as well as internet service providers, have announced major investments in rural internet connectivity.

A total of 27 projects have been announced under the Universal Broadband Fund, totalling over $373 million. The federal government will contribute nearly $137 million, the province will pitch in $112 million, and service provider partners will spend $124 million.

Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development) for the Government of Canada, says, in this day and age, everyone in Alberta should have access to reliable, affordable, high-speed internet.

“Today’s announcement is a major milestone, and investments like these make a real difference in people’s lives, creating jobs, improving access to health care and online learning services, and keeping us connected to our loved ones,” says Belanger.

Xplore will contribute over $11.5 million into southern Alberta, connecting over 13,000 people in communities such as:

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• Blackie
• Bow Island
• Burdett
• Cardston
• Chin
• Claresholm
• Coutts
• Diamond City
• Enchant
• Fort Macleod
• Granum
• Iron Springs
• Magrath
• Medicine Hat
• Milk River
• Monarch
• Nobleford
• Okotoks
• Picture Butte
• Piikani Nation
• Pincher Creek
• Raymond
• Redcliff
• Shaughnessy
• Stavely
• Stirling
• Strathmore
• Taber
• Warner

These southern Alberta communities should be connected with high-speed, broadband internet by either December 2026 or March 2027.

Nate Glubish, Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, says this is part of their ambitious goal of connecting more rural Albertans to high-speed internet.

“This latest batch of projects brings Alberta to over 95 per cent of our goal and it shows just how far we’ve come. We are following through on our commitment to universal connectivity, and as more homes are identified, we will keep pushing until the job is done,” says Glubish.

You can see the full list of impacted communities here.