Starlink installer in northern Ontario says business has been down since January

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The proprietor of a institution that installs Starlink outer dishes for residential customers successful northeastern Ontario says that portion of his concern has fallen dramatically successful the past fewer months.

"We've gone from, you know, doing 5 to 10 installs a week to 1 a month," said Nick Lavoie, the proprietor of Northern Internet Solutions.

"Since January we've mislaid a batch of doors. And Starlink has been a doorway opener for america successful presumption of getting our different services retired determination for the community."

While his institution is not officially affiliated with SpaceX, the Elon Musk-owned institution that runs the Starlink outer net service, Lavoie said installing the systems for agrarian customers has been a important portion of his concern since 2020.

He said Starlink past opens the doorway to different services helium offers for agrarian customers, specified arsenic internet-connected information systems.

But since U.S. President Donald Trump started his 2nd word successful January, Lavoie said a batch of Canadians are having 2nd thoughts astir supporting immoderate companies owned by Musk, who is simply a elder advisor to the American president.

"Reaction wise, we're getting a batch of online hate," Lavoie said.

"I've been called a Nazi astir 100 times this past week. Just radical that are commenting connected our ads oregon connected our Facebook group, which is disrespectful."

Lavoie said he's heard that immoderate Starlink installers successful different parts of Ontario, who person Starlink branding connected their vehicles, person faced vandalism.

Musk's car institution Tesla has faced a akin backlash wherever dealerships crossed Canada person been vandalized.

WATCH| Doug Ford rips up Ontario's Starlink contract

But dissimilar the electrical car-maker, Lavoie said determination are often fewer alternatives for agrarian net entree that tin vie with Starlink.

"The infrastructure needs to beryllium truly majorly upgraded if Canada is going to commencement providing Canadians with Canadian internet," helium said.

"But that's ne'er going to happen, not successful a agelong time."

Lavoie added Ontario Premier Doug Ford's determination to cancel a $100-million declaration with Starlink, arsenic a effect to U.S. tariffs connected Canadian goods, volition wounded his business.

While the cancelled woody won't forestall radical from signing up for Starlink themselves, it would person acceptable speech capableness connected the web to proviso 15,000 bluish Ontario homes with broadband net access.

Buying Canadian 

Joanne Godin said she precocious cancelled her Starlink subscription for her family's cottage successful the French River area, southbound of Sudbury.

As with Ford's decision, Godin said she cancelled the work arsenic a effect to American tariffs and Trump's rhetoric connected Canadian sovereignty. 

"By taking Starlink disconnected of our expenses, well, it shows them that, you know, this is elbows up for us," Godin said.

Godin said she's been looking astatine her expenses and cancelling subscriptions for other American-based services, specified arsenic Amazon Prime.

She said determination are different alternatives for net entree astatine her cottage, and that she volition astir apt power to Rogers.

But Godin admitted the work would astir apt beryllium slower than the speeds she got with Starlink.

"We astir apt volition marque immoderate sacrifice, but it won't beryllium that bad," she said.