New report shows how most provinces rely on Starlink

As Canada looks to attain “digital sovereignty,” a new report examines how most provinces and territorial governments are still reliant on U.S.-based Starlink for internet connectivity.

In a thorough investigation, the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) looked at the widespread use of Starlink, the internet satellite service owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, here in Canada. In particular, the IJF broke down recent and ongoing uses of this tech on a provincial basis.

Perhaps the most high-profile case is Ontario, which ended its $100 million deal with Starlink last year amid the wider trade war with the U.S. While many welcomed Ontario distancing itself from a company so intrinsically tied to Musk, the Ford government also drew criticism for not being transparent about how much had to be paid to axe this agreement.

But while Ontario did, at least, move away from Starlink, most other provinces are still in business with the company. Per the IJF, B.C. Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and PEI didn’t respond to questions, but smaller jurisdictions within each province have recently had — or do still have — dealings with Starlink.

Meanwhile, Quebec has a contract running through 2028 to use Starlink in remote courthouses, Nunavut confirmed a contract of undisclosed value for a “portion” of broadband needs, Northwest Territories says individual government bodies use Starlink on a “case-by-case basis,” and Newfoundland and Labrador and Yukon both employ Starlink for essential services in remote areas.

All in all, the investigation shows just how much Canada depends on Starlink, especially for underserved parts of the country. The service also powers Rogers’ Satellite coverage. What’s more, it certainly doesn’t help that the full extent to which we’re reliant on Starlink is unclear, given how many provinces didn’t respond to the IJF.

This report demonstrates the challenges that Canada will face as it tries to become less reliant on U.S. technology. In particular, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in September that there’s “no question” that Canada will diversify from Starlink. This came amid Musk’s admission that he throttled Starlink service in Ukraine amid its war with Russia, claiming that the former country violated its terms of service.

Clearly, it’s dangerous to be reliant on foreign technology, especially from someone as volatile as Musk. In the meantime, Canadian companies like Terrestar and Telesat are working on their own satellite options. But unfortunately, it’s going to take a while to wean Canadian infrastructure off of Starlink.

Image credit: Starlink

Source: Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF)