In Labrador, a community about the size of Sweden, about 30,000 people live in 32 isolated settlements spread across five distinc t cultural and economic regions. These settlements are populated with Inuit, Innu, Metis and Settler who have banded together to break their mutual isolation. Through SmartLabrador, a community that is often inaccessible by road is about to hit the Information Highway. Ultimately, SmartLabrador wants elders and young people alike to stride down the Information Highway with ease and confidence. With few roads, most of the 32 settlements are isolated from each other.
Different communities connect with each other by boat or plane, and in winter, by snowmobile.
All this is about to change. Building on existing infrastructure, the demonstration project will open up communications among the 30,000 residents. While people may remain physically distant, new services in health, education, e-commerce and community life will bring people closer together, and connect them to the outside world. We had to refine our list to include those services that provided the most benefits in the long run. Most of Labrador's remote and isolated settlements do not have adequate access to medical services.