GODERICH – County councillors traded shots over the price of better cell service Tuesday, as one member questioned whether an $800,000 mapping study is worth it when rural dead zones are already well known. At the same time, another argued the work is essential for public safety and for securing future funding.
During the June 10 Huron County Council meeting councillors’ comment period, Coun. Paul Klopp (Bluewater) questioned the need for spending roughly $800,000 on what he called a “really in-depth” mapping project led by Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT), saying residents and phone companies already know where calls drop.
“Maybe $800,000 for a beautiful study isn’t maybe the best use,” Klopp told council, adding he’d rather see scarce government dollars go toward “fixing things like cancer treatments.” He said rural providers have long identified problem areas such as Howick and parts of his own municipality.
“They know where the areas are that really need changing… We don’t need this,” he said, arguing, “My cell dollars is going to subsidize somebody in London – that’s not right either.”
Klopp acknowledged he has his own dead zones, saying he loses service “behind the barn” at home, but can walk a few feet and reconnect – a “first world problem,” he suggested, that doesn’t warrant an expensive study to confirm what users already know. He argued the money would be better spent pressuring big telecom companies to invest in known rural weak spots rather than paying consultants to map them again.
Past Warden Jim Ginn (Central Huron) defended the project, saying the work is primarily about public safety and about challenging overly-optimistic coverage maps published by major telecoms.
Ginn stressed the proposal is about more than convenience, calling it a public safety issue in rural areas where drivers and farmers can lose signal at critical moments.
“It might not bother you if you drop your cell phone coverage behind the barn, but if … an accident were to occur and you didn’t have cell coverage, it might be an issue to you,” Ginn said.
He noted the proposal is meant to replicate ongoing studies in eastern Ontario, which cost about $250,000 a cycle and have helped that region secure funding.
“It works out to between, depending on how you work the figures, between 30 and 60 cents a resident of Southwestern Ontario – is it worthwhile investing that amount of money for safety issues? I’ve made up my mind about it. I think it is,” Ginn said, adding he doesn’t see how the province could approve one region’s request and deny another’s.
Council did not make a formal decision on the study on Wednesday, but Ginn, who sits on the SWIFT board, said he would take councillors’ concerns and questions to the group’s annual meeting later this week, where more details on the proposal and potential funding sources are expected to be discussed.
By Cory Bilyea, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jun 19, 2026 at 07:00
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