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Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Vol. 48, No. 15
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Town of Viking to no longer provide internet service Patricia Harcourt Editor
Viking residents using the town’s internet provider have been notified by letter that the service will soon be ending. The letter, dated April 3, reads: “The Town of Viking will no longer be offering internet service.” Current customers have until June 1 to find themselves a new internet provider. “We understand that this change may cause some inconvenience and we are committed to making the transition as smooth as possible for all our valued customers,” stated town administration in its letter. One way of helping that promise was the fact nobody will be charged for cancelling the service, a service which the town had initiated several years ago. “We encourage you to begin searching for a new internet provider at your earliest convenience,” advised the town, to its internet customers. Once a customer has found a new provider, that person can inform the town to cancel their connection with Nutec internet. “We will then coordinate with Nutec to arrange for the removal and return of the equipment,” the letter states. The issue of ending Nutec as the town’s internet provider began in November 2023 when then deputy mayor Cindy Lefsrud made an unannounced motion to end the service by January 1, 2024. Although defeated, Clr. Lefsrud had defended her abrupt motion by stating: “We’re not getting the bang for the buck.” The previous administration under then CAO Don McLeod set up Nutec Electric to provide cheaper, more reliable internet service with the town doing the billing and Nutec providing the tech sup-
JOSEF HARTUNG PHOTO
Local wildlife photographer Joe Hartung was hanging out at Schultz Lake, northeast of Alliance, when he spotted the above Common Goldeneye duck taking off. According to Cornell Lab “All About Birds,” in an unusual twist, the male of the species is black and white with an iridescent/teal neck, while the females boast a pretty brown head and more colour in their body plumage. The males also have a round white spot behind their bills, but it’s their bright yellow eyes that capture the attention first. Their wings make a distinct ‘whistle’ when they fly which is even more noticeable when it’s cold. They mostly nest in the boreal forest areas of Canada and Alaska, so this fellow might have just popped in for a drink and a swim on his way a little further north.
port. At the time, it boasted the fastest upload and download speeds offered within town limits, but promotion of the service and sign-ups eventually began to plateau. Now that council is officially ending its connection with Nutec as of June 1, the town appears to be promoting the services of another such provider by posting an introduction on its own website. MCSnet has been added to the town’s business profile page. “MCSnet is your local high speed internet provider with over 30 years of serving rural Alberta,” the company states on the Town of Viking web site. A presentation from MCSnet’s business develop-
ment manager Kevin Bernhardt was heard by town council last December. Council was exploring its options following Clr. Lefsrud’s declaration the previous November that she found the current provider unsatisfactory. At that time, Viking already had 46 fixed wireless customers on MCSnet, and 11 GigAir customers. At that time, Bernhardt said existing MCSnet Viking customers would be upgraded for free, and the company would work with non-profit organizations and other public use facilities to provide free WiFi at “hot spots.” Other internet options that exist to local residents and businesses include Starlink, Telus, and Xplore.