VANDERHOOF – CityWest is proud to announce that it will be expanding into the community of Vanderhoof later this year.
Bringing high-speed Internet, TV, and phone services over fibre-to-the-home technology, the company plans to install its first customers by the end of 2020.
“We as a community have strived for strong access to the information highway for a long time,” said Gerry Thiessen, Mayor of Vanderhoof. “It will allow our businesses to operate more effectively and efficiently, and it will also enable our young people to access great educational opportunities similar to more urban areas of the province.
“More than ever, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that it’s important to have fast, reliable Internet at your home,” continued Thiessen. “For all those reasons, we’re happy to welcome CityWest to Vanderhoof.”
CityWest has plenty of experience expanding into new communities. Over the past five years, the company has enlarged its fibre footprint across the Bulkley Valley, into the communities of Smithers, Houston, Lake Kathlyn, Telkwa, and the Hazeltons. Now, it is looking farther eastward to bring its philosophy of great service to more customers in the North.
“Our team knows how to bring great services to new communities, and they do it very well and very effectively,” said Bart Kuntz, Vice President, Outside Plant with CityWest. “We’re definitely looking forward to coming into Vanderhoof and giving customers the same great experiences our other customers enjoy across Northern B.C.”
The initial stages of the roll-out will happen before the end of the year, with $2 million earmarked for the first stages of construction. Next year, CityWest intends to continue to build and bring service to the community using a combination of its own money as well as external funding.
On top of that, Vanderhoofians will see some work done at CityWest’s local office, located at 2353 Burrard Avenue. CityWest purchased the building in 2019, knowing it wanted to expand into Vanderhoof.
“That investment in the building shows how serious we are about bringing great customer experiences to Vanderhoof,” said Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest. “All told, this is a significant investment we are making as a company, and we’re looking forward providing world-class connectivity and becoming a bigger part of the community in the months and years ahead.”