Canadian Rural Partnership
Rural Dialogue



Abitibi-Ouest Dialogue
Summary Report
Internet Access to
Government of Canada
Programs and Services

LA SARRE, ABITIBI, QUEBEC
March 13, 2003

Publication # 2202E
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2003
Cat. No A22-329/2003E-HTML
ISBN # 0-662-34715-3

This report is a summary of discussions that took place during the Abitibi-Ouest Dialogue, entitled "Internet Access to Various Programs and Services offered by the Government of Canada", held in La Sarre, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec, on March 13, 2003. No limits were placed on the participants during discussions that took place in brainstorming sessions. In order to present a true report of the free-ranging discussions, recommendations made by participants that fall outside federal jurisdiction are also included. Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Government of Canada.

The Abitibi-Ouest Dialogue was part of the Rural Dialogue, an ongoing, two-way discussion between the Government of Canada and Canadians from rural, remote and northern regions. Launched in 1998, the Rural Dialogue is a key citizen-engagement component of the Canadian Rural Partnership (CRP) Initiative. The CRP is designed to support rural community development by adopting new approaches and practices that respond to rural, remote and northern priorities. The Dialogue process helps the Government of Canada to understand local and regional priorities, and provides rural, remote and northern citizens with an opportunity to influence Government of Canada policies, programs and services that affect them.

The Rural Dialogue brought together 60 people: representatives of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Rural Team (which includes 13 representatives of federal departments); the leading development officers in Abitibi-Ouest, Valcanton, Villebois; the municipal sector; community organizations; development officers representing all groups in this community; and a representative of the Quebec Department of Regions.

This exercise was part of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Rural Team action plan and was aimed at identifying the connectivity needs of the region's citizens, determining their level of satisfaction to access Government of Canada programs through the Internet in their region, and enabling discussions on this subject.

The Regional County Municipality of Abitibi-Ouest

Located in the northwestern part of Abitibi-Témiscamingue on the Ontario border, the Abitibi-Ouest region includes 24 municipalities, including the two northern localities of Valcanton and Villebois. This area is identified as a resource region because of its largely natural resources-based economy: agriculture, forestry, mines and water. Many efforts are now being made by the community to develop a value-added economy.

The region has a population of 21,984 according to the 2001 Census. The population density has slightly decreased (6.7%) in recent years. The 2001 Census set the population at 21,984, and five years earlier it was at 23,571. According to that Census, 21.2% of the population has some post-secondary education, 16.5% (1,600) of the population was unemployed, and the total average income was $34,988 ($39,565 for men, $27,124 for women).

The discussions first focussed on their knowledge of Government of Canada programs and services, and secondly on the use of the Internet in that region to access information from departments. Following these discussions, proposed actions were identified and participants formulated recommendations. The Dialogue took place in an exclusively rural region, with very limited Internet connectivity.

A broadband network project, under Industry Canada's Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Program, is being developed to provide broadband access for the entire Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. This project is bringing together federal, provincial and municipal government representatives and is being carried out in consultation with community organizations.

(A) Information retrieval

• Participants acknowledged that a multitude of Government of Canada programs exist, and that an incredible amount of information is available on the Internet. However, they indicated that it is often difficult to navigate and easy to get misdirected, searches prove to be long and unsuccessful in many cases, and it is challenging to link the service or resource required with the project they want to submit. Finding the appropriate tool among the numerous ones available was also identified as a challenge.
• Participants commented that even though federal services are centralized, human resources are deemed essential within the region to assist and meet the needs of applicants. Participants believe that such resources contribute to the vitality of the community and in ensuring that the services offered meet the needs of the rural population.
• It was recommended that the Government of Canada Web site should be more user-friendly, and that the capacities and technical resources present in rural areas should be taken into account.
• Also, it was noted that not all users, senior citizens in particular, are always able to understand the new technologies. Support training should be provided to those requesting it.

(B) Infrastructure and technology

• A January-February 2003 survey by the Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDC) in the region showed that about 25% of businesses are connected to the Internet. Of this number, only 10% use the Internet in their business relations. In terms of infrastructure, it emerged that about 50% of the population has access to the Internet.
• To increase the rate of Internet use: further support should be provided for school training and community activities, offered through community access centres; connections and access should be improved in rural communities; and the cost should be reduced to make it more affordable and, thus, available.

(C) Response times

• Participants indicated that response times in rural regions seem longer than in urban areas. They cited the examples of obtaining passports or registering firearms. All applications have to be mailed in and applicants often have to make several attempts because their initial application is incomplete, resulting in lengthy delays.
• Departments should improve the response time to requests for funding as such delays result in adjusting the development of the project. The criteria of certain programs should be more flexible in order for small projects to be eligible. It was noted that project proponents are generally well received in the departments.
• The waiting time when calling the 1-800 O Canada line should be reduced.

The participants made the following recommendations and proposed actions to address the issues raised during the Dialogue:

• in person access centre, based on the Service Canada model (which included hiring a person to be in the field to manage files and follow up with departments, the community and project proponents) should be established in each community;
• "in person" services should be increased and Internet referrals decreased;
• Government of Canada Web sites should be more user-friendly (for example, offer thematic research options);
• governments should listen more to users as they have valuable comments and suggestions to offer;
• information sessions on Government of Canada programs and services should be organized by federal departments to better inform rural citizens;
• ensuring the availability of affordable high-speed Internet access throughout the area should be a priority for the region; and
• the region should continue to support the consultation between governments and private stakeholders on affordable Internet access and broadband deployment.

The participants, aware of the role of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Rural Team, recommended follow-up by the members. They expressed significant satisfaction with the interest shown by federal departments in listening to what they had to say and in focussing on rural concerns relating to the delivery of government services and access to government programs.

In conclusion, the Co-Chair of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Rural Team made a commitment to report the results and recommendations of this session to the Team and to identify the follow-up actions required. The participants will thus be informed of the outcome of this dialogue. The summary report of this dialogue will be sent to the federal departments concerned.

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