By Marianne Cole
BROADBAND
- CCTA Workshop
- A successful broadband workshop was held at Dovercourt on Saturday, February 21,2026. Our first guest speaker, Phil Swanson, from Missing Link, spoke on the operational processes and pro’s/con’s of fibre optics, satellite, and hybrid connectivity. With the definite variety of topography in Clearwater County a combined provision of these options is necessary. Here is a brief description of each:
- Fibre Optics
- This option features fibre optic cables connected to a central hub and then has the cables dug into the ground throughout the county including to residences. It is a highly reliable, cost effective option with large capacity. With the varied land types in Clearwater County, it is difficult to install in some areas. Depending on the options a person would choose, the costs range from $60 to $200 per month.
- Hybrid
- This option uses a combination of towers and cable with communication passing through both structures. While it is a cheaper option, resident hook-up does require a line of site to the tower. Monthly costs range from $50 - $150.
- Satellite
- This currently seems to be a very popular option with many residents hooking up to Starlink. While it is an easily accessible option it may be negatively affected by weather and increased usage. Monthly costs average $140.
- County Operations
- Keith Ponton with Arcadis, was our second speaker and gave an excellent, informative presentation on the county’s broadband operations. Special notes were:
- Current happenings
- Representatives from AFL, a company hired by the county to promote the project, are going around the county and stopping at residences to provide information to home owners as well as gather “expressions of interest”. As soon as possible crews will also continue digging in fibre optic cable.
- Early Bird Offer
- Accepting an early bird offer for hook up would cost a resident $399 which includes necessary equipment and fibre optic cable for the first 100m to your home. Beyond that distance there would currently be a charge of $14/m. These costs would be paid when the hook up actually occurs.
- Increased property value
- Property owners that hook up could potentially see an increase in property value of approximately $11,000.
- Community benefit
- It was also noted that during construction, with the various crews involved and them using various community facilities/businesses, there could be a benefit of @ $7M to the community.
During Mr. Ponton’s presentation various concerns were brought up, including:
- Difficulty working through the county’s website to access information.
- The significant cost of bringing fibre from the roadway to the residences. Suggestions to address this included allowing people to either hang the cable on their fences or dig it in themselves. Another option brought forward was to “average” the inlay cost so everyone paid the same cost for bringing the service from the road to the home, similar to the method use by gas coops.
- Desire for more public engagement opportunities to provide information and encourage hook ups.
We certainly look forward to seeing what happens as the county continues with this operation.
BITCOIN MINING CENTERS APPROVED
At the February 18th meeting of Clearwater County’s Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) they approved discretionary use development permits for the installation and operation of 3 power generation sites for Bitcoin Mining Centers. These operations will be located in an undeveloped area in the northeastern part of the county, roughly 4 – 10 miles east of Hwy. 22, on the north side of the Medicine Lake Road.
While similar to data centers, Bitcoin Mining Centers are dedicated solely to enabling transactions related to the Bitcoin network. Conversely, data centers are larger facilities designed to store, process, and manage large amounts of data for various applications.
Both centers use large amounts of energy, though Bitcoin operations can scale their energy use up and down based on market conditions and energy prices.
The companies involved, NVS Engineering and Jayhawk Resources are both Alberta based, though NVS also has an office in Sheridan, Wyoming.
This will be another interesting matter to follow as it develops.
Up-Coming Events
- March 18, 2026, 7:30PM, Arbutus Community Hall. CCTA meeting with guest speaker MP William Stevenson.
- April 8, 2026, 7:30PM, Leslieville Elks Hall. CCTA meeting with guest speakers Mark Dorin and Jason Nixon to discuss the province’s proposed Mature Asset Strategy to deal with regulations governing current and orphan wells.
“May your heart be light and happy; may your smile be big and wide; and may your pockets always have a coin or two inside.” Irish proverb.
