The Honourable Mike Currie, Minister of Development and Technology, and Randy Angus, Chair of the Cardigan Communities Development Association today announced a Regional Information Technology (RIT) Centre will be located in the Pooles Corner Business Park.
The facility will be connected to the same network as the Atlantic Technology Centre in Charlottetown and the previously announced RIT centres in O'Leary and Kensington. The network of technology integration centres now spans into each of the three counties in the province and will allow users to work together on projects and share resources.
Construction is to begin this summer on the 3,500 square foot EasTech Business Centre and should be completed in the fall.
EasTech will feature space for IT companies, while the advanced technologies will allow for distance training and the delivery of e-services, which are a growing trend in health and education.
The facility will include state-of-the-art office space, a development lab, incubator space for new IT companies and entrepreneurs, and "smart services" including video conferencing, supported by Cisco AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data) Technology.
Randy Angus, Chair of the Cardigan Communities Development Association says EasTech will provide real opportunities to stimulate economic growth, particularly in aquaculture.
"The video conferencing and advanced communication capabilities will allow operators to provide distance training to other parts of the world where the industry is in the early development stages," said Randy Angus. "There will also be the capability now to work on new projects with partners around the globe."
Mike Currie, Minister Development and Technology, says the goal of the RIT centres is to extend the benefits and opportunities of the new knowledge economy into communities across the province.
"IT advances, especially in e-commerce, distance education and public service delivery, have allowed rural communities to compete like never before in the global marketplace," said Minister Currie. "It is satisfying to see the community identify the opportunities that exist, and we are pleased to be able to provide support to this initiative."
Debby Beck, owner of Montague Computer today announced her company will have a presence in the facility.
"The new technologies are giving people the opportunity to live and work where they want, they don't have to be in the big cities. It is exciting to see this facility and the state-of-the-art infrastructure coming to our area so we can explore new business opportunities."
Technology PEI Inc. will also be a tenant in the facility. It will lease 1,000 square feet to locate an incubator program where developing IT companies and entrepreneurs will have access to reduced rent, shared resources and mentoring to assist with their development into sustainable companies.
Technology PEI Inc. is the Government of Prince Edward Island's lead agency in the development, adoption and use of information technologies in business and community in the province.