Family connection; affordable Internet for single parents and their kids in Canada

Single parent poverty

There are 1.64 million single parent families living in Canada. Of those, 21% of single mothers and 7% of single fathers raise their children in poverty. Of the total amount of poverty-stricken families in the country, 42% cannot afford Internet access. This has a huge impact on younger family members academically, as a recent study discovered that home Internet connectivity accounts for a 7% increase in graduation rates.

Doing some good

Working with the Governments of British Columbia and Alberta, mobile operator Telus has launched ‘Internet For Good’, a first of its kind initiative in Canada. Now, low-income single parent families can receive high speed broadband with 350 GB of data for less than 10 dollars a month. There is also the opportunity to buy low cost refurbished laptops and take advantage of educational programs such as ‘Telus Wise,’ as well as various free digital literacy resources.

Connected Canadians

To date, Telus has reached 15,000 one-parent families in Alberta and 18,000 single parent families in British Columbia with a view to expand the program to include other low-income segments of the population. Internet For Good represents Telus’ long-standing commitment to bridging the digital divide and helping at-risk Canadians achieve social and digital equality by connecting them to the tools and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.

“Both my children have dietary needs. Learning how to cook for children who have extreme dietary needs, the Internet’s a must and it opened up the opportunity for me to have some extra money to do fun things with my kids. It totally changes the experience for my kids when I don’t have to say no to doing an extra curricular activity. It’s definitely made a positive impact in my life in a hundred different ways.”

Jessica Taylor, single mum, Vancouver