I recently announced that there will now be two competitions each year so that rural and remote communities can connect faster to the Information Highway. Currently there are 94 CAP sites operating in Alberta with 15 more communities coming online as a result of the latest competition. Grande Prairie has two CAP locations - the Centre for Business Development has four terminals and the Grande Prairie Public Library has two terminals. The Community Access Program links communities into a competitive global economy. The Program also improves the quality of life in these communities.
Children have access to sophisticated education facilities through tele-learning.
Medical facilities link up to the most sophisticated hospitals in the country using tele-health. We've already seen cases where some of Canada's foremost specialists have performed on-line diagnosis of patients in communities thousands of miles away. I've recently seen an excellent application of the Program on the Southeast Shore of Nova Scotia, in Sandy Cove and the Western Valley in Lawrencetown. Many people in those communities left school early to follow the trade of their fathers and grandfathers in the off-shore fishery. But with the dramatic decline of the Atlantic fishery in recent years, many were left without a trade, and did not have enough education to pursue new opportunities.