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Manitoba Liberals say they would bring cellphone service and high-speed internet to every northern community if they win the Sept. 10 provincial election.

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont says he would work with Manitoba Hydro’s existing fibre-optic system and Indigenous communication companies to cover remote areas.

He estimates it would cost $20 million as part of a cost-shared deal with the federal government, although he did not provide a detailed breakdown of the figure.

There are some northern communities which are not connected to the hydro system, and Lamont says he would use other technology in those cases.

The Liberals say Manitoba is lagging behind Saskatchewan in connecting remote areas, and better connectivity would help economic development, health care and other services.

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