While 98 per cent of Toronto households are connected to the web, 38 per cent have download speeds below the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s national target rate, which is 50 megabits per second, according to a new report from the Brookfield Institute called “Mapping Toronto’s Digital Divide.” (The Logic)

Talking point: About half of the city’s low-income households, as well as people 60 years or older, reported slower speeds. More than a third of households in the city worry about paying their internet bills over the next few months, with concerns the highest in households earning less than $30,000 annually, according to the report, which conducted an online and phone survey of 2,500 total Torontonians in late November and early December. Access to a good internet connection has become more important during the pandemic with increased remote work and schooling. “Home internet and internet-enabled devices make it possible for many families to isolate or quarantine; to reduce their contacts and risk of illness; and to remain connected to family, friends, work, school and services.”