September 19, 2020
On August 29th we posted the following: we have experienced a summer like no other in our 15 plus years of providing service to our local communities.
Weather wise: storms, lightening damage, tree growth have kept us running, as has the increasing demand for reliable internet with greater speeds and capacities.
This week was fraught with additional challenges as there was an incumbent’s fibre cut near Calgary whose back up system also failed resulting in a significant outage that impacted our service. On Friday, a core router failure was resolved by our upstream provider in the early afternoon; however, further up the line into the transit network bottlenecks and other issues were created impacting connectivity to the network that took some time for the engineers to resolve.
Our messaging system was quickly overwhelmed as every client was down. Our voice message system would not allow us to change the message or erase messages until the provisioning department of that company could reset the systems. At that time we were able to update our messaging on 780-669-1001; the issue was compounded as our commonly called phone lines are VOIP, hence, were not ringing. It was a learning moment and we sincerely apologize recognizing the disruption felt by our clients, in particular during these times, when internet has taken on a new meaning in navigating our work, educational and personal lives.
At this time we are unable to call back each client impacted but have started working on the development of an automated notification system. Please watch for further communications on this in the upcoming weeks as you will be required to opt in to receive notifications. We will also be reviewing other protocols to determine enhancements.
Lastly, we felt some explanation of the internet would assist in advancing the understanding of our comments on upstream providers. There is a saying that the internet is not made but created. In essence, it is nothing more than roads and interstates that connect networks together forming the “internet super highway” as illustrated by microtik above.
The internet is a conglomeration of millions of networks. Ours is considered a “last mile network”. We connect our clients wirelessly to an upstream provider who purchases bandwidth that is transported through the Supernet which is managed by another incumbent local exchange carrier (large telecommunications company) on a fibre network to a core vault. At the core vault, traffic is sent through various routes (generally fibre) to other networks that are similar and so on and so forth connecting the world to the web. As demonstrated this week, fibre cuts, router failures and issues up the line can have catastrophic consequences at our level. Generally, there is redundancy so things switch over quickly such as with the the fibre cut - service was directed to the back up line owned by another incumbent but failed; hence, the outage was not resolved seamlessly as one would expect.
We appreciate the patience and commitment of our clients. Service was restored yesterday evening. Powering down your router or restarting your computer if you are directly connected should resolve the issue. Should this not be effective, please send an email to support@canadasurfs.net with the subject - “service not restored” so we can review asap. Unfortunately, we are unable to call all clients back given the magnitude and duration of the outage. This event will serve to make us stronger - this is our commitment to you.
Sincerely, your team at Canadasurfs.
August 29, 2020
Here at Canadasurfs High Speed Internet, we have experienced a summer like no other in our 15 plus years of providing service to our local communities. Weather wise: storms, lightening damage, tree growth have kept us running, as has the increasing demand for reliable internet with greater speeds and capacities. We have worked hard to upgrade equipment on towers and at our clients’ residences as well initiated 2 new deployments this summer with another one planned before the snow flies in order to meet the growing need.
As this uncommon summer nears an end and fall looms, we recognize the difficult decisions facing families. We empathize with the families of school age children and the dilemmas and challenges faced in sending their children back to school. We recall the first day of school and the emotions dropping our little ones off back in the day. With the pandemic, this simple act of sending children to school has become so much more complex and difficult to navigate, and each family will approach this in their own way.
We hope that our continued improvements and upgrades are of assistance during these trying times and appreciate our clientele for the support and encouragement we continue to receive as we strive to provide excellence in service. Feel free to find out more by visiting our website canadasurfs.info or calling us at 780-669-1001.
July 1, 2020
We, at Canadasurfs Internet, love Canada and agree with Bono, “the world needs more Canada”. Today, symbolizes our values as Canadians as well as our history (both the good and the bad) and what we have and can continue to learn from it. We are forever thankful to be able to call ourselves Canadians. Below are some quotes we felt stood out for us that we wanted to share in honour of Canada Day.
“The origin of the word or name Canada derives from the word kanatan that is found in the languages of the Iroquois, the Cree and the Algonquin-speaking peoples of North America. Kanatan means it is pure, clean sacred, which denotes a place. When the word is shortened to kanata it comes to mean to make pure, clean, sacred - it becomes an action.....by understanding the word kanata in this way is to see our country as a verb and not a noun. For which we are reminded every day, to seek ways to make kanata into kanatan.” Lorne Cardinal, Actor
“O Canada. These days, I’m feeling more proud than ever of my Canadian roots. Day after day we witness the madness and sadness around the world, and know deep in the soul of our north country, there is kindness and caring at its core” Robbie Robertson, musician
“My Canadian-ness affects every aspect of being. My American friends once accused me of enjoying being Canadian. GUILTY AS CHARGED” Mike Myers, actor-comedian
Have a wonderful day and stay safe, from your friends at Canadasurfs High Speed Internet.
June 21, 2020 - what an amazing day this year - National Indigenous Peoples Day, Summer Solstice and Father’s Day!
This June 21st is like no other. We are in a reprieve after a long battle that has led us on a journey of appreciating what we often take for granted like the role of our fathers. Those sometimes overlooked moments in time are what ground us and grow us into who we are. “I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom”. Umberto Eco.
No matter how or where you celebrate today, reflection on what matters and who matters is important in this shifting paradigm - cherish the moments and stay safe. Let us know if we can help you stay connected - https://canadasurfs.info/ 780-669-1001.
May 31, 2020
It is difficult to comprehend the changes in our social, economic and recreational norms. We are all inter-related when it comes to our health, financial well-being and of course, in our relationships. We have never washed our hands so much, resisted hugging a loved one or introducing ourselves with a handshake, and spent so much time on the internet or the phone, doing what we can without going out and interacting with the public. Who would have thought this time last year that donning a mask would be a symbol of care for others.
Everyday is a new one and we continue to be here to support you in working and learning at home as we slow the spread. Please stay safe, wear your mask of care when needed and know we are here to support you with your internet needs. Feel free to call us at 780-669-1001, from your friends at Canadasurfs High Speed Internet
May 8, 2020
Happy Mother’s Day! This year has brought so many challenges and realizations about what is important in life as we social distance, stay at home and help each other remain healthy during the greatest health crisis of our times. Many of our elders are currently unable to experience the physical connection to family. Thankfully, there are many ways to get close - we see it in family’s visiting through windows, drive by’s or music played to a loved one on a balcony. The wonder and value of relationships stands out in a poignant but marvellous way these days.
As we recognize our Mother’s this weekend, we plan to celebrate and reflect on the amazing realizations that have come our way, honouring our mother’s with renewed appreciation. We hope we can help you reach out to the ones you love and may be missing as well. Let us know if we can assist you. Stay safe from your friends at Canadasurfs High Speed Internet - Birgith, Liz, Stephen, Shelby, Bradley and David
April 25, 2020
We just wanted to share our sincere appreciation for the support you provide us in keeping our staff safe by troubleshooting over the phone and social distancing when we are out. We all have a new appreciation of the internet as we work our way through the pandemic and how it affords us the ability to continue to work from home, educate our kids and keep connected socially.
The importance of Internet was evident when we started in 2004, but it’s evolution as a key aspect of our everyday life was not. What has not changed for us is our appreciation of our communities, of the heroes we work with everyday keeping our lives and economy running. We knew in 2004 that we could only do this work in partnership with our neighbours - in fact 125 of our neighbours signed a support letter to change the county by-law allowing us to operate from our backyard. As we continued to expand and provide the service to a broader area, this has not changed - it has just taken on an unexpected new meaning. Thank you for keeping our staff safe and being such great partners in providing this service.
April 4, 2020
These are trying times and we continue to be out there working behind the scenes, climbing on roofs, upgrading our infrastructure, social distancing and monitoring health and safety in our interactions.
Yes, we are designated as an essential service but beyond that as a long standing family business we also know many of our subscribers by name and have a commitment as members of the community we serve. We appreciate the encouragement we receive daily from you and will begin posting these on our Facebook page (non-identifying).
Everything matters - from staying home and self isolating to showing encouragement and appreciation to each other. Thank you for your continued encouragement and for supporting our work in so many ways!
Stephen, Birgith, Shelby, Liz and Bradley
March 28, 2020
As an essential service we are focused on keeping the service running, adding capacity given the escalating demands, and completing repairs as needed. We are also fielding calls from families who need functional internet and will continue to complete installs; however, keeping our staff safe and healthy means that we are asking screening questions and avoiding entering the home/personal contact if possible - this may mean we ask you to assist as we pull cable through a wall or have you get the power supply sitting on your front step with instructions as to how to plug it in. If you are contemplating ordering the service, please review our contract, acceptable use and privacy policies on our website https://canadasurfs.info/downloads prior to staff coming out. Typically our staff would review this with you and this can still occur but over the phone. Please call us should you have any questions or concerns 780-669-1001. Stay home, stay safe and social distance - and we will continue working behind the scenes, your friends at canadasurfs.
March 21, 2020
Since we started delivering Internet in 2005, we have seen unprecedented challenges and natural disasters across the province including floods, wind storms and wildfire as well as challenging economic times and now a pandemic.
Reliable, affordable Internet services are critical in our day-to-day lives as well as to support the economy - especially now. We want to assure you that we are continually upgrading our network, responding to client calls and requests for service. This includes field work such as service upgrades and repairs as they arise. Our staff will continue to complete work outside your home as usual; should there be a need to interact with you or enter or your home, they will ask screening questions and require social distancing be maintained. As much communication as possible will be completed by phone.
We recognize you may require additional speeds and wish to remind you that we offer three unlimited packages and will work with you to develop a custom package should you need this. Additionally, we continue to respond to calls for service and continue to complete installations, again, taking care to ensure the safety our staff and clients. Should there be any service interruptions, please check our message on 780-669-1001 for updates.
These are difficult times. We are so thankful to be Canadians and Albertans and we will continue to work hard to do our part. Please stay safe and remain healthy and call if we can assist.
Your friends at Canadasurfs Internet,
Stephen, Birgith, Liz, Bradley and Shelby