Office of the Premier
Today, Premier Christy Clark joined TELUS to break ground on a new Internet data centre that will bring more than 200 constructions jobs and up to 75 permanent jobs to Kamloops and British Columbia.
“TELUS has been a fantastic partner for our province and this new data centre is a great example of how investments made by TELUS are growing B.C.’s economy, improving connectivity across the province and creating jobs for families,” said Premier Clark. “Kamloops has a highly skilled workforce and is in a perfect geographic location to become a hub for data centres and the family-supporting jobs that come with them.”
The TELUS Data Centre will allow organizations to store their data in what will be one of the most energy-efficient, sustainable and secure facilities of its kind in North America. This $75-million development is being built to LEED Gold standards and will use up to 80 per cent less power than a typical data centre of its size.
“I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to the City of Kamloops, the Kamloops School District, the Province of British Columbia and our TELUS team in the Thompson Okanagan for their support of our investment,” said Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO. “Our Kamloops Data Centre will offer unsurpassed connectivity, superior functionality, state-of-the art security and industry-leading reliability for our clients, whilst creating 200 construction jobs and 75 long-term skilled technical jobs in the community.”
Technology is one of the eight key sectors identified in the BC Jobs Plan. As part of the plan, the B.C. Government is growing British Columbia’s tech sector by opening up new markets for high-tech products and solutions, while creating a positive environment for long-term job growth. Over 84,000 British Columbians work in the technology industry and jobs in technology are growing twice as fast as overall employment growth in the province.
“We have a strong relationship with TELUS and together we’ve achieved great things over the years for British Columbians,” said Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government. “I’m excited about this investment they’re making in Kamloops, which adds to the long list of significant projects they’re involved with across B.C.”
In July 2011, the government of B.C. signed a 10-year strategic telecommunications contract with TELUS, providing telecommunications to government and the broader public sector. As part of this contract, TELUS signed the Connecting British Columbia Agreement, which leverages benefits for citizens in rural and remote areas at no additional cost to the taxpayer.
Government of British Columbia and TELUS will work to increase Internet connectivity to 97 per cent of the province, improve Internet speeds in areas already connected, and upgrade nearly 450 schools with high-speed fibre optic cable over the next 10 years. In addition, new cellular coverage will be built on more than 1,700 km of previously unconnected highway segments over a five year period.
To learn about the Connecting British Columbia Agreement, please visit TELUS at http://about.telus.com/community/english/about_us/for_our_customers/connecting_bc_program
Contact:
Shane Mills
Office of the Premier
250 661-1015
David Haslam
Communications Manager
Ministry of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government
250 387-0172
