Tashi Farmilo
Published online July 15, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com.
OUTAOUAIS – Four new cellular towers will be built in the Outaouais under a
$27.7 million provincial investment announced July 6 by France-Élaine Duranceau, Quebec’s Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts. She was joined by Mathieu Lévesque, Minister Delegate for the Regions.
The funding is intended to address longstanding cellular coverage gaps residents and municipal leaders have warned put public safety at risk. The four towers are the Outaouais’ share of 17 new towers being built across 10 regions of Quebec as part of the third phase of Operation Cellular Coverage, Quebec’s initiative to expand service to rural and remote communities.
For the Outaouais, the announcement marks a significant reversal. As the Pontiac Journal reported in May 2025, MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller said she learned the Outaouais would not be included in Premier François Legault’s commitment to provide province-wide cellular coverage by 2026 and would instead likely have to wait until 2027 or 2028. The region’s wardens planned to submit a resolution to the Quebec government demanding equitable service and a rollout by 2026.
While the newly announced towers realign the Outaouais to the provincial plan, the projects are only scheduled for completion by 2028.
The four towers will be divided among three MRCs. MRC Pontiac will receive two, while the MRCs des Collines-de-l’Outaouais and de La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau will each receive one.
The towers will be located in areas where cellular service is currently nonexistent or unreliable, regardless of carrier, with priority given to clusters of homes where companies proposed cost-effective projects. The exact locations haven’t been determined. Engineers must first identify zones capable of providing the required coverage before selecting and securing specific sites.
Videotron Ltd. was awarded the contract to build all four Outaouais towers as part of six projects assigned to the company during this phase. The Outaouais projects must be completed by September 30, 2028.
Lévesque said cellular coverage “quickly resurfaced” during discussions at the Council of Regions and became a government priority.
“Behind every new cell tower, there are families who will feel safer, businesses that will be able to continue their development, and citizens who will finally have access to an essential service,” he said.
The first two phases of Quebec’s Operation Cellular Coverage program call for the construction of 211 cellular sites across the province by the end of 2026. Progress has been slow, with 87 sites—about 41%—currently in service. The government says the remaining sites are expected to be operational by the deadline, with only a few exceptions.
Once the first two phases are complete, Quebec projects that cellular coverage will reach 93.1% of numbered roads and 99.3% of building interiors. Across all three phases, a total of 228 towers are expected to be built and operational.
Duranceau said the investment represents more than an infrastructure upgrade. “Connectivity isn’t just a matter of technology: it’s a matter of quality of life, security, economic development and the vitality of our regions,” she concluded.
