Can You Hear Me Now?

by Angela Sanford

Years ago, I was at Bedford Place Mall picking up Easter treats for the boys. When I got back to the van, it wouldn’t start—the computer had “locked up.” I went back inside to find a payphone and called Dan, then his uncle Bunny, hoping someone could help. After a fair bit of frustration, we finally reached another family member—an actual mechanic—who arrived as the hero of the day.

   That was also the moment I broke down and decided to buy my first cell phone before heading home, just in case something like that ever happened again.

   Fast forward to recently: I upgraded to my latest phone, and ironically, the cell and internet service feels like I’ve gone right back to 2004.

   Anyone who travels through Nine Mile River knows how unpredictable service can be—calls drop without warning, and even at home my internet will occasionally cut out mid-stream. But last week was something else entirely.

   I had to call a government agency, and once I got home from work, I dialed the number. The reception was spotty at best, and I found myself pacing through the house, trying to keep the call active. Needing to take notes, I eventually ended up leaning over my washing machine when the agent finally said, “There—we can hear you clearly.” So, there I stayed, hunched over my washing machine, for the rest of the conversation.

   That same day, our Fire Stick lost service, for the umpteenth time—even with a booster less than five feet away and the router only twenty feet from it. The connection has since returned, but it’s still intermittent at best.

   Later that afternoon, I popped down to the village grocery store for a few items and noticed a sign: the lottery terminal was down because it couldn’t connect to the internet.    Seriously – at this point all I could do was laugh…. Or cry!

   In a time when so much of daily life depends on reliable cell and internet service, paying high prices for something so inconsistent is frustrating at best—and completely out of our control. Our calls for better service seem to vanish into the same void that drops our internet.

   I’m all for unplugging now and then, but on my own terms. I never thought the phrase, “I’m probably going to lose you,” would become so common in everyday conversation.

In an emergency, you want to feel reachable—not isolated. Yet poor connectivity only deepens that sense of isolation, when what we need most is connection. And then there’s the cost. With everything getting more expensive, families shouldn’t have to stretch their budgets just to afford what has become a basic necessity.

   We rely on connectivity for so much—reporting power outages, banking, booking appointments, and more. Nova Scotia communities pride themselves on being connected through people rather than technology—but in 2026, we shouldn’t have to choose between the two.