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Election day: Saturday, October 17, 2026

Should Burnaby offer free home internet? The Burnaby Connect pilot

Burnaby Connect: a 12-month free home internet pilot to unleash human potential.

The short answer

Vision 2030 proposes Burnaby Connect — a 12-month free home internet pilot for eligible Burnaby households. The principle is simple: internet connects people to education, employment, health care, government services and the AI revolution. We would test the idea, measure outcomes and respect every tax dollar.

Three things to know

  • Burnaby Connect is a proposed 12-month free home internet pilot — time-limited, with a published budget, not an open-ended program.
  • Connectivity is the gateway to education, employment, health care, government services and the AI revolution.
  • Bill would test first, measure outcomes and publish the results before deciding whether the pilot continues or expands.

Why this matters to me

The principle is simple: internet connects people to opportunity. A parent learning a new skill. A senior connecting with family, or someone using AI to turn an idea into a business — all because cost was no longer a barrier.

Opportunity should not be determined by a family's income. As mayoral candidate, I believe in testing ideas, measuring outcomes and respecting every tax dollar.

Health care protects our well-being. Connectivity can help unlock our human potential. Let's start in Burnaby and prove what's possible.

The honest comparison

What residents are asking

  • How many Burnaby families still go without reliable home internet because of the cost?
  • If opportunity shouldn't depend on a family's income, why does access to the online world depend on it?
  • When schoolwork, job applications and government services all move online, what happens to the households left offline?

My approach

  • Start with a time-limited pilot — 12 months of free home internet for eligible households — with clear eligibility criteria and a defined budget.
  • Partner with internet providers and community organisations rather than building a city-run network.
  • Measure what matters — skills learned, jobs applied for, seniors connected, small ideas turned into businesses — and publish the results before deciding whether to continue.

What you can hold me to

  1. 01Launch the Burnaby Connect pilot: 12 months of free home internet for eligible Burnaby households, within a published budget.
  2. 02Report outcomes publicly at the mid-point and end of the pilot, before any decision to renew or expand it.
  3. 03Test whether the pilot actually closed the opportunity gap — not just how many households signed up.

Elect Bill Petrovas

For Mayor of Burnaby

“Health care protects our well-being. Connectivity can unlock our human potential. Burnaby Connect: a 12-month free home internet pilot. Let's start in Burnaby and prove what's possible.”

#Burnaby #BurnabyConnect #UnleashPotential #Vision2030

Vote Oct. 17, 2026 · Your vote is your voice

Questions people ask

What is Burnaby Connect?
A proposed 12-month free home internet pilot for eligible Burnaby households, designed to test whether removing the cost barrier helps people access education, employment, health care, government services and new opportunities.
Who would qualify for the free home internet pilot?
The pilot would focus on households where cost is the barrier — seniors, job seekers, parents and low-income families. Final eligibility would be set with community partners so the help reaches the people who need it most.
Isn't internet the responsibility of telecom companies, not City Hall?
The city would not build a network. We would convene providers, schools and community organisations, contribute to a time-limited pilot, and measure the results — the same convening role I would bring to transit washrooms and other partner files.
How do you make sure it doesn't become an open-ended expense?
Twelve months, a published budget and published outcomes. If the pilot doesn't prove its value, it ends. Announcements are not accomplishments — results are.

Read next

All of Vision 2030

Announcements are not accomplishments. Debt free is not waste free. Vote Saturday, October 17, 2026 — your vote is your voice.

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