Reconciliation
Celebrating the power of collaboration and innovation in the Nass Valley
Dec 4, 2024
Last fall, we began the construction of the wireless towers that will connect the four villages of Nisg̱a’a and the highway, in partnership with Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government (NLG). Today, we are proud to highlight some of the important milestones and innovative solutions that are connecting residents and businesses in new ways.
Marking the beginning of the largest broadband circuit in Canada
At the start of this year, we celebrated the activation of the 20GB broadband circuit that paves the way forward for new opportunities to improve safety and support Indigenous well-being and prosperity in the Nass Valley.
This infrastructure is the largest network connection enabled by TELUS throughout Canada, which offers five times the bandwidth and capacity of Nisg̱a’a Nation’s former 4GB circuit. This connectivity is the foundation that will power the internet for residential homes, businesses within the valley, access to virtual learning, participation in cultural events and offers capacity to add so much more.
Providing this level of network connectivity is proof of the visionary leadership of NLG, which is acting now to secure the technological capabilities that will unlock new growth and support further investments in the health, education and prosperity of its people.
Andrew Borne, Nisga’a Nation IT Director, shared ”It really touches home knowing people can now have the security in knowing whatever phone they may have, they can be in communication with their families and friends. The LITS team is excited to continue their learning path, and the remainder of the project is really ramping excitement in the communities. You can tell.”
By augmenting its network bandwidth five-fold, NLG will be better equipped to support communications and service delivery for all Nisg̱a’a Village Governments, Emergency Response Services, the four Nisg̱a’a Health Authorities, SD#92 (Nisg̱a’a), Wilp Wilp Wilx̱o’oskwhl Nisg̱a’a Institute, and small businesses within the Valley.
Connecting at the NLG Special Assembly
Members of the TELUS team, including Marshall Berkin, Vice-president, Customer Success, North America; and Raymond Saoumah, Vice-president, Wireless Networks & Services Dev Ops; attended the NLG Special Assembly in May to celebrate the exciting achievements of our partnership thus far and to share the importance of our relationship. It was a privilege to speak to the future of our partnership and hear from Nisg̱a’a citizens about what these improved services mean to them.
"It was an honour to join Nisga'a Nation members at this year's Special Assembly, " said Marshall Berkin, Vice-president, Customer Success, North America. “Hearing directly from members of the community as to how these connectivity upgrades have already improved the safety and economic growth for the area made me proud to be part of such an important partnership that is centred on leveraging our strengths to reach shared goals."
During this visit, the TELUS team toured the wireless sites that were soon to be operational after
During this visit, the TELUS team toured the wireless sites that were soon to be operational after
breaking ground
in September of 2023. By the end of this year, all nine wireless structures are will connect the four villages of Nisg̱a’a Nation and parts of the highway to reliable wireless coverage. 
Raymond Saoumah, Vice-president, Wireless Networks & Services Dev Ops, Logan Demerais, Rural and Indigenous Wireless Solutions, and Cam Bilyk, Roehampton, at one of the three highway site locations.
Local partner stepping in
A key part of our commitment to connectivity is to ensure that everyone has access to it. For the wireless launch with Nisg̱a’a Nation, we worked closely with NLG on creating an exclusive offer for Nisg̱a’a Nation members signing up for consumer Mobility services. This program was made available to all Nisg̱a’a Nation members across Canada, ensuring connectivity for all, not just those who reside in the Nass Valley.
For those living in the Nass Valley, our trusted local TELUS partner, Andre's Electronics Experts, has been active in the community, supporting new account setups and sharing information as TELUS wireless service becomes available.
We are proud of the partnership path we are walking with Andre’s, and of the positive ripple effects their deep commitment to innovation and enabling connectivity will have for members of the community.
As the rest of the highway is connected to wireless connectivity over the coming months, we will be working closely with the NLG and Lisims Internet and Technology Services (LITS) teams to support them as they prepare to take over the maintenance of the tower infrastructure once they come online.
At TELUS, reconciliation is strength-based, and we are proud to see different teams across TELUS work closely with NLG to develop and implement custom, innovative, end-to-end solutions, including this example of building wireless infrastructure together, supporting new skills training, and leveraging marketing expertise to support the affiliate deal.
This new way of doing business makes space for new, meaningful and collaborative ways to advance reconciliation together. In this year's
Reconciliation and Connectivity Report
, Dylan Grandison, the project lead of the wireless build, shares what this career change means to him as he takes on this new and exciting role. 
