In the spring of 2002 the Vancouver Island Regional Library and the NorthIslandDistanceEducationSchool teamed with the CV Community Information Systems Society to look at the feasibility of forming an "Islands-Communities Network of Networks." The concept was to look at sustainable means and community partnership processes that would help the more remote and under served areas of the North Island region further progress towards citizen-centered knowledge access, education opportunities and life-long learning via affordable and easy access to the Internet.

In their work with Industry Canada and Human Resource Development Canada the partners knew that some form of regional partnership would be of interest to potential funders under the Government’s “Connecting Canadians” strategy and other supporters such as the BC Community Network Association (BCCNA), the BC Internet Association (BCIA), municipalities and others urge the initiative forward. 

The result is the CAP Sustainability Program outlined on this site. The initiative we call “islands-communities.net” and the Regional Network of Networks has not been put in place to direct CAP activities. The intent of your Regional Network is to facilitate, promote and develop community capacity in the service of connecting individual citizens to a future of promise brought by the Internet and by Information Technologies. 

For lots of reasons- mostly because of social and economic barriers, not everyone is able to make the leap towards that future. There are dedicated people in communities up and down Vancouver Island and in the surrounding region that want to help reduce those barriers between their neighbors and the new Knowledge Economy. It is to them this initiative is dedicated.