Partnership will ensure long-term operation of Basin fibre network

Columbia Basin Trust is partnering with CityWest to transfer ownership and operations of its broadband network assets, ensuring long-term management of the Basin’s fibre optic network by an experienced telecommunications provider.

The network will continue to operate on an open-access basis, supporting multiple internet service providers.

“From the outset, the Trust’s goal was to put in place the infrastructure needed to bring service to as many Basin residents as possible who lacked reliable high-speed internet,” said Johnny Strilaeff, President and CEO, Columbia Basin Trust.

“With the targeted completion of the Connect the Basin project in 2027, that goal will largely be realized. As an experienced operator of networks in rural B.C., CityWest has the expertise and capacity to operate this much-expanded network and provide the services residents and communities need now and in the future.”

The transition will occur in two stages. The Trust will work closely with CityWest throughout this process to ensure a smooth transition for internet service providers and the households they serve:

The Trust’s current broadband assets will transition to CityWest later this year.

Connect the Basin assets will transition once construction is complete in 2027.

CityWest is a provincially scaled, municipally owned telecommunications provider delivering fibre networks to communities across British Columbia through partnerships with municipalities, Indigenous Nations and regional organizations.

With more than 110 years of experience in telecommunications, CityWest owns and operates fibre networks in diverse and remote regions of the province, with a focus on underserved rural and Indigenous communities.

“Columbia Basin Trust’s vision, leadership and commitment have fundamentally changed what connectivity looks like across the Basin,” said Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest.

“We’re honoured to carry that work forward in partnership with the Trust and bring CityWest’s experience operating large-scale rural fibre networks, taking seriously the responsibility of stewarding this infrastructure so communities continue to benefit from reliable, high-quality connectivity well into the future.”

For more than 15 years, the Trust has funded and directly developed broadband infrastructure to help Basin residents access reliable and affordable high-speed internet. What began with a small fibre network in the West Kootenay has since grown into a regional “fibre highway” across the Basin through Trust investments, government partnerships and collaboration with industry.

That work expanded significantly in 2023, when the Trust was approved for a multi-year, $82 million project extending fibre to 59 underserved communities and more than 5,400 rural households.

The Connect the Basin project was further expanded in fall 2025 to reach an additional 2,650 households and is scheduled for completion in spring 2027.

“Connectivity is vital to the sustainability and growth of communities in the Columbia Basin,” said Rob Gay, Chair of the Southeastern BC Regional Connectivity Committee. “The Trust has played a pivotal role in building this regional fibre network, and this next step with CityWest ensures the infrastructure will continue to serve households and communities well into the future.”

Final close date is subject to consents and approvals customary for a transaction of this nature.

Columbia Basin Trust supports the efforts of the people in the Columbia Basin. To learn more about the Trust’s programs and initiatives, and how it helps deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the Basin, visit ourtrust.org or call 1.800.505.8998.

Lead image: Columbia Basin Trust will transfer its broadband network assets and operations to CityWest later this year. Columbia Basin Trust photos

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