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Monday, April 21, 2025

British Columbia rest areas to offer free, public Wi-Fi

 

Unless they have an unlimited data plan, motorists can quickly drain their cellphoneโ€™s data while on the road. Drivers in British Columbia will get some relief. The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation has recently announced plans to offer free Wi-Fi at rest areas.

Currently, the rest area at Britton Creek off of the Coquihalla Highway offers the free Wi-Fi service. The Glacier View rest area on Highway 16 north of Smithers also has recently launched free Wi-Fi.

Through the partnership of Canadian telecommunications company Telus and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, the following locations will feature free Wi-Fi by the end of the year:
โ€ข Britton Creek, Highway 5 โ€“ 42 miles south of Merritt
โ€ข Glacier View, Highway 16 โ€“ 4 miles north of Smithers
โ€ข Taylor River, Highway 4 โ€“ย  23 miles west of Port Alberni
โ€ข Galena Bay, Highway 23 โ€“ 30 miles north of Nakusp
โ€ข Mount Terry Fox, Highway 16 โ€“ 4 miles east of Tete Jaune
โ€ข Loon Lake, Highway 97C โ€“ 25 miles east of Merritt
More locations will add free, public Wi-Fi service in the coming years. Motorists can identify which rest areas offer the service with a Wi-Fi graphic on rest area signs.

A Ministry of Transportation news release that free Wi-Fi โ€œbenefits the commercial trucking sector, allowing commercial operators to rest, access washroom facilities and stay connected.โ€

Commercial vehicle inspection stations throughout the province also offer free Wi-Fi.