[Advisors] Growth of Fab Labs in Canada

[Brian Beaton]

Monique ... Thanks for  this invite and for the information about the development of Fab Labs. I do have some questions and concerns about TC taking on supporting these types of "developments".

One issue that I hope the TC team might consider before they take on developing these Fab Labs as a "new access program" or expanding them as "the development of this network in line with values and impacts already established by CAP sites" is the requirements for establishing these "labs". Some questions:
* What are all the costs involved in setting up and operating each lab? 
* What skillsets are required to support their operation in a community? 
* What types of facilities and equipment are required? 
* What size of population and type of community is required to properly support their operation? 
* Which communities will have to pass on being able to support these labs? 
* Will remote and rural communities continue to become wastelands as their populations are drawn to urban centres to access these types of resources and opportunities?
* Where will the funding come from to support their development?
* Who will be eligible to access these funds and who will once again be ignored?

I was around before the CAP program got taken over by the urban access sites when it was intended to support public access in the thousands of small remote and rural communities across Canada. It began by targeting communities under 5,000 people in 1994-95 then moved to supporting access in those under 20,000 people before it eventually opened the door in 2000 or 2001 to supporting public access urban libraries and then urban public access networks in urban centres. It never finished serving all the small, remote and rural communities because there was never enough money to take care of all the urban sites.

CACTUS is looking to TC to support their lobbying efforts with the CRTC and the large cable providers to fund their 290 media centres across Canada (and probably have CACTUS administer the funding program). Of course these existing 290 media centres are television production centres in locations that can support the technical, facilities, network, production and financial requirements for TV programs. I really liked the motherhood statements made by CACTUS about community ownership and control of the resources to support media centres in all communities. But I also think everyone needs to take a second look and hopefully a very cautious look at what TC is really supporting with these types of "developments" that add to the multitude of access options available to the folks in over-resourced public urban environments. 

Most of the remote First Nations I work with are without a public library because their populations are just too small to support one based on the funding model established by well-intended folks in urban centres. Not too many of the THOUSANDS of small remote and rural communities across the country have the type of capacity required to support a "Fab Lab" today and probably never have it. Lots of these communities never had the opportunity back in the 1990's and 2000's to participate in CAP because they did not have the connectivity at the time to support an access site. Will a "solution" be for another "mobile lab" that can be taken around to these unserved environments so the young people can learn that they have to move to urban spaces to access these types of opportunities?

Now the folks who established the "fab labs" wants TC to support their efforts to expand these facilities and opportunities. Is TC willing to abandon its position as an advocate for the underserved and unserved communities across Canada that struggling to access affordable and equitable connectivity? Should TC be lobbying on behalf of urban environments that can already support these types of facilities?

I wonder ... and I wish there were enough resources to make these opportunities available to everyone ... just some early morning thoughts that I woke up troubled with ... 

Woliwon

Brian Beaton
Researcher, First Nations Innovation Project
Doctoral Candidate, Faculty of Education, Critical Studies, University of New Brunswick
Research Associate, Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute
Settler ally of Indigenous peoples and future generations
Contact Details:
Snail Mail: Box 104, Station A, Unceded Wolastoqey Traditional Lands, Fredericton, NB, E3B 4Y2
T: 506-261-1344
E: brian.beaton at unb.ca  
http://firstmile.ca 


-----Original Message-----
From: advisors-bounces at tc.ca [mailto:advisors-bounces at tc.ca] On Behalf Of Monique Chartrand
Sent: January-09-16 7:28 PM
To: advisors advisors
Subject: [Advisors] Growth of Fab Labs in Canada

Happy New Year to you,

We work more than ever this year to the growth of Fab Labs in Canada. We are counting on thirty developing projects in Quebec but we realize that the rest of Canada seems to show some delay. 

I would like to explore with you the possibilities that Telecommunités Canada may join us as co-promoter of an approach to find the breeding grounds in Canada and contribute to help on working conditions to their developpement (perhaps a new access program).

We are advancing well with McConnell Foundation, and we are to identify which organizations would be interested in co-promoting or partnering in the development of this network in line with values ​​and impacts already established by CAP sites. 

I also wonder if among you there would be developers or partners interested in participating in this development in your provinces.

Looking forward to reading you,

Monique


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