Imagine sitting in downtown Sarnia or along the waterfront checking your Facebook, Twitter or researching your latest project online and not using up all of the browsing data you bought for the month.
Well, councillor Anne Marie Gillis wants that dream to become a reality.
She's asked city staff to draw up a report outlining the process and cost of bringing free public WIFI to the downtown and Centennial Park.
"It seems like this is really part of the economic engine," says Gillis. "It's asking for a report. I'm expecting that to come to us at our first council meeting in March."
Gillis says a number of communities, including London and Peterborough, have already launched similar plans as position themselves as a "smart city."
"This is another opportunity for us to be more economically viable, particularly in the downtown core where we have a very strong arts and culture group and they see the positives of trying to do something like this to expand their own businesses," says Gillis.
Staff will specifically investigate the cost for the area of Christina and Front Streets from Wellington to George Streets and Centennial Park.
They've also been asked to include information on possible partnerships and access to federal and provincial grants to help with the cost of installation and use.
