Digital divides

Access to information technology increasingly marks the divide between rich and poor. This gap between those with access and those without has been dubbed the 'digital divide' and is increasingly being used as a social indicator. In Canada, the wealthiest 25% of families are five times more likely than the poorest 25% to use a computer.

Statistics suggest that an individual's level of education also has an impact on his or her access to ICTs. For example, 87% of Canadian homes headed by someone with at least a university degree regularly used the Internet from any location in 2002. In contrast, 66% of households led by someone with a high school or college diploma used the Internet, while only 30% of those headed by someone with less than high school education regularly used the Internet.

The federal government has been an important player in efforts to close Canada’s digital divide. Results achieved so far include: the distribution of 400,000 computers into schools and libraries, the connection of all of Canada’s schools to the Internet, the development of Canada’s SchoolNet repository of learning resources, and the establishment of 8,800 community access centres and 12 ‘Smart Communities’ throughout Canada. The latest initiative is to pilot the introduction of broadband Internet access for the development of rural and northern communities.