Annual $1.25 million investment helps communities go beyond internet access to plan, build and govern their digital futures
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OTTAWA, Ontario, July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As Canada looks to reduce technological dependence and strengthen digital sovereignty, CIRA is investing $1.25 million in 15 community-led projects that put local control at the centre of the country’s digital future.
The 2026 Net Good Grants program will support more than 130,000 people through projects that help communities at every stage of their digital journey—from expanding community-owned networks and strengthening online safety skills to bringing more voices into conversations about digital sovereignty, platform governance and AI.
This year’s recipients reflect where internet gaps still exist today: not only in access, but in resilience, safety and local control. Communities need more than high-speed internet—they need the ability to shape the systems, policies and infrastructure they rely on. As internet access becomes inseparable from essential services, economic opportunity and civic participation, being connected also creates new risks, especially for children, seniors, nonprofits and survivors of intimate partner violence.
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The funded initiatives are expected to reach rural, remote, northern and Indigenous communities, as well as urban centres, helping build a more trusted, resilient and inclusive internet for all Canadians.
- 15 community-led projects across Canada will receive 2026 Net Good Grants funding.
- Seven initiatives focus on community-owned or community-led connectivity infrastructure.
- Five projects support Indigenous communities in upgrading, expanding or planning locally controlled digital infrastructure.
- Two policy engagement projects will advance platform governance, youth digital rights and Canadian digital sovereignty.
- Several projects address the risks that come with being connected by helping communities build practical digital safety, cybersecurity and AI literacy skills.
“We are deeply grateful to CIRA’s Net Good Grants program for enabling community-based organizations like Minto to undertake critical projects that would otherwise be difficult to achieve. By increasing network capacity and resiliency, this project ensures our remote community stays connected, making a real and lasting difference for people who depend on reliable internet access every day,” says Robert Calbick, Director, Minto Communications Society.
The need for these projects shows that the digital divide has not disappeared; it has evolved. Several initiatives will focus on local and Indigenous control over internet infrastructure, from upgrading community-owned networks in the Northwest Territories to planning future broadband networks in Ontario and expanding fibre infrastructure in Alberta.
“This project puts control of our digital infrastructure back in Tłı̨chǫ hands. Reliable, secure networks mean our citizens can trust the systems carrying their health records, education and government services. It’s a concrete step toward the digital self-sufficiency our communities have long been building,” says Cameta Brooks, Manager, Information Technology, Tłı̨chǫ Government.
But connectivity is only one step. Once communities are online, they need tools and solutions to stay safe and thrive. The grants also support digital governance and safety. Projects will advance Canadian digital sovereignty, youth participation in digital policy, cybersecurity skills for seniors and newcomers, AI literacy for elementary students, anti-cyberbullying education and support for victims of intimate partner violence.
“Canada faces critical risks when the digital infrastructure and platforms shaping daily life are owned and operated outside its borders. Holding dominant companies accountable is difficult when they enable harm, and even harder when they crowd out domestic alternatives. Through this project, we aim to leverage tech policy to enable vibrant digital markets rooted in local priorities and consumer well-being,” says Renee Black, Founder and CEO of GoodBot.
Together, these initiatives show that closing Canada’s digital divides is about more than connecting communities. It is about giving them the tools, knowledge and agency to shape how digital infrastructure is built, governed and used.
“Canada’s internet challenges are evolving—from expanding access to strengthening community control, resilience and online safety. These projects reflect that shift by supporting locally-led solutions that improve connectivity, build digital resilience and empower communities to shape their own digital futures.” Charles Noir Vice-president, Community Investment, Policy & Advocacy, CIRA
2026 Net Good Grants recipients
Ampere, formerly Pinnguaq Association
The organization will co-design and deliver anti-cyberbullying workshops for youth in rural, northern and Indigenous communities. The project combines practical online safety guidance with Indigenous values of kindness, empathy and care to help youth identify and report online harm.
Digital Moment
The Quebec-based initiative will adapt an existing high school AI literacy resource into bilingual, unplugged learning materials for elementary and middle school students. The project will help children understand how AI systems can influence choices, reinforce unsafe assumptions and shape online experiences before unsafe habits become established.
ElderCollege Delta Society
The British Columbia-based group will expand ElderCollege Delta’s trusted drop-in technology support model with free Saturday cybersafety sessions for seniors. The sessions will provide hands-on, judgment-free help with phishing, passwords, privacy settings, scam recognition, AI awareness and safe use of online services, supported by trained high school student educators.
GoodBot
The organization will translate lessons from Canadian infrastructure regulation into accessible policy resources on interoperability, platform accountability and digital sovereignty. The project will bring civil society, researchers, policymakers and the public into conversations about how Canada can better govern digital platforms in the public interest.
Heart River Housing
The Alberta-based housing provider will install fibre connectivity and facility-wide Wi-Fi at three rural seniors lodge facilities in northern Alberta. The project will help lower-income seniors access telehealth, online banking, government services, family connections, digital literacy support and online safety resources.
Imagine Canada
The national institution, working with the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience, will generate Canada’s first national picture of nonprofit cyber readiness and activate practical change across the sector. Through national awareness webinars, an eight-week Applied Readiness Program, tabletop simulations and a Peer Reinforcement Network, the project will help nonprofit professionals strengthen cybersecurity governance, build incident response capacity and better protect the communities they serve.
John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights
The Alberta-based organization will create a national hub to support youth participation in digital rights, platform accountability, AI, privacy and online safety policy discussions. Through working groups, policy research, legislative outreach and federal dialogues, the project will help ensure youth perspectives shape Canada’s digital future.
Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation
The First Nation will build a community-owned managed wireless network for Gwa’yasdums Village in British Columbia, where residents face no cell service, no landline infrastructure and fragmented internet access. The project will support safer emergency communications, telehealth access, water monitoring and reliable connectivity for homes and critical community facilities.
Lab-2038
The Quebec-based group will develop a confidential remote technology-support service for victims of intimate partner violence across the province. The project will help victims secure devices and accounts and respond to technology-facilitated surveillance while equipping frontline workers to recognize and address digital abuse.
Minto Communications Society
The British Columbia-based organization will improve internet reliability and resiliency for remote Upper Bridge River Valley communities that currently depend on a limited backhaul route vulnerable to extended outages. Upgrades will strengthen network capacity, backup power and alternate connectivity for households, local businesses and essential services.
Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg
The Ontario First Nation group will complete a technical and financial feasibility study for a future community-owned fibre-to-the-premise network. The study will support planning for reliable, locally controlled broadband infrastructure that can better serve on-reserve and off-reserve members, as well as community services.
Petaykawin Development Corporation
The Ontario-based corporation will conduct a technical audit of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug’s community-owned cable network and develop a roadmap for future broadband modernization. The project will help the fly-in First Nation assess upgrade options, plan for construction funding and strengthen long-term community control over digital infrastructure.
Stoney Tribal Administration
The Alberta-based organization will construct approximately 2.5 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure to connect key community facilities, businesses and nearby homes along Mînî Thnî Road. The project will improve internet performance for public services, public safety coordination, local economic activity and residents’ access to reliable high-speed internet.
Tłı̨chǫ Government
The Indigenous government in the Northwest Territories will upgrade aging community-owned IT network infrastructure across Behchokǫ̀, Whatì, Gamètì and Wekweètì. The project will strengthen connectivity, reliability and cybersecurity for Tłı̨chǫ citizens who rely on digital government, education, health and community services.
Trent University
The Ontario education institution will deliver free, hands-on cybersecurity micro-credentials for seniors and newcomers in Peterborough and surrounding rural communities. The project will help participants build practical skills in scam recognition, account security, password management, multi-factor authentication, misinformation awareness and the safe use of online services.
- Discover more about the CIRA Net Good Grants program: https://www.cira.ca/en/grants/
- Explore a decade of impactful projects supported by Net Good Grants: https://www.cira.ca/en/grants/history/
CIRA is the national not-for-profit best known for managing the .CA domain on behalf of all Canadians. As a leader in Canada’s internet ecosystem, CIRA offers a wide range of products, programs and services designed to make the internet a secure and accessible space for all. CIRA advocates for Canada on both national and international stages to support its goal of building a trusted internet for Canadians by helping shape the future of the internet.
About Net Good by CIRA and Net Good Grants
Net Good by CIRA is how CIRA gives back to Canada’s internet. Funded from the revenue generated through .CA domains, the program supports communities, projects and policies that make Canada’s internet a better place. Grants are one of Net Good’s most valuable contributions, with over $15 million invested in hundreds of community-led internet projects across the country that address infrastructure, online safety and policy engagement needs.
