The Honourable Mitch Murphy, Minister of Technology and Environment, is pleased to announce the donation of 50 surplus computers to the Community Access Program (CAP). The very generous donation was made by Veterans Affairs Canada.
"Veterans Affairs Canada has been a long-time ally of CAP communities in PEI through its involvement in several SchoolNet Digital Collections projects at CAP sites," says Minister Murphy. "This donation is a wonderful example of provincial and federal governments in PEI partnering to assist Island communities in preparing for the knowledge-based economy."
Previous projects completed in CAP sites include: Digital Collections sites devoted to the Battle of Vimy Ridge; Canadian Military Medals and Decorations; and the National Beaumont-Hamel Memorial in Newfoundland.
The donated computers have been made available to 41 CAP communities throughout the province. To date, 27 CAP sites have taken advantage of this program and will be making the computers available to the general public for basic access and training very soon.
The Community Access Program in PEI began in 1995 as a Federal Government initiative through Industry Canada. During the first two years of competition, PEI was awarded 18 CAP sites.
In January of 1997, the PEI government entered into an agreement to cost share this program. Since that time, 28 new sites have been awarded on PEI. With these 46 sites, no Islander is more than 15 minutes away from public access to the Internet and other computer and information technologies.
Veterans Affairs Canada is also an active contributor to the Computers for Schools and Libraries program, also through Industry Canada, and has contributed 279 older model computers which have found their way into many Island schools.