The Honourable Mike Currie, Minister of Development and Technology and minister responsible for Technology PEI, is pleased with the findings of the recently released Statistics Canada Household Internet Use Survey.
The survey found Prince Edward Island recorded the largest increase in Canada in home Internet access. 34.4 percent of Prince Edward Island respondents indicated they now have access to the Internet in their homes, a 71 % increase from the year previous.
Minister Currie noted, "with information being an essential requirement of the emerging knowledge based economy, it is extremely important Islanders have access to information and the global resources on the web." The Minister added, "this is one of the motivating factors behind the Community Access Program (CAP) where Islanders can now access the Internet across the province."
Prince Edward Island, which was the first Canadian province to have every school and library connected to the Internet, also led the country in Internet access in schools, with 25.1 percent of respondents indicating they accessed the Internet in school, well above the national average of 19.1 percent.
Education Minister Jeffrey E. Lantz says the role of technology continues to grow in classrooms across PEI. "Technology is being integrated across all subject areas in the public education system," says Minister Lantz. "With the advantage of our small size, our province has been able to move quickly in this area. During school visits last year, I saw student developed web pages at the elementary school level. Our teachers are to be commended for integrating technology in the classroom."
The Statistics Canada survey also found Prince Edward Island has the third highest Internet penetration in the workplace at 27.5 percent.
Technology PEI Inc., is a Provincial Crown Corporation established to advance the growth and development in Prince Edward Island's technology sector. Technology PEI plays a leadership role in the development, use and adoption of information technology for business and community in Prince Edward Island.