Smart Cities, Smart Government

ICTC’s Smart Government Policy Roundtable was held on March 11th, 2021. It was the fourth in a series of events focused on creating a vibrant and inclusive smart economyfor Canada. The round table opened with a keynote speech about privacy-consciousinnovation by Dr. Ann Cavoukian, former Information and Privacy Commissioner for the Province of Ontario and inventor of Privacy by Design. 

In the event’s second hour, an invited group of 30+ experts from industry, government, academic institutions, and civil sector organizations were led in discussion by ICTC facilitators. Participants formed smaller groups of three to five people and worked through three 20-minute exercises focused on smart government. In terms ofmethodology, these exercises practised a form of participatory sensemaking: participants created qualitative data, analyzed and interpreted this data through discussion, and developed new frameworks of understanding based on their interactions in the exercises.

Beginning with the first exercise, the roundtable participants highlighted key trends in smart government, and identified what future progress should look like. The final two exercises helped distill participant responses into common themes and diagnose what work is needed, and by whom, to achieve common goals. Throughout this process, participants discussed themes like inclusion and accessibility, privacy, collaboration, and digital adoption. This policy brief distills these discussions and highlights the priority areas identified by roundtable attendees.