Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 02

14 / Canadian Government Executive // March/April 2018 W elcome to the era of Smart Cities where connectivity will drive your daily com- mute, where internet infra- structure will be as critical as any bridge, hospital or highway in guaranteeing a safe, accessible, healthy and prosperous community for you and your family. Tech- nology and data will be the new tools for urban planners to improve the economic development and the livability of cities. What may have been considered revo- lutionary 25 years ago can now be cast as a logical evolution in our urban centres. We’re now at a point where the “internet of things” is actually a thing. It’s the digital connective tissue that enables the muscle and bones of the Smart City. It’s the technology and data flow we will rely on to conduct commerce, deliver goods and services, relieve traffic conges- tion, keep the streets cleaner, provide better access to healthcare, and improve public safety. It’s all about opportunities to make cities more walkable, more livable and more viable. Dozens of Canadian municipalities and communities are already on the Smart Cit- ies bandwagon. They’re putting their final touches on their own initiatives and ideas aimed at urban living in the 21st century. They’ve done so thanks to $75 million in awards being offered by the federal gov- ernment. Canada launched its Smart Cities Chal- lenge (SCC) in November of last year, offer- ing cash awards ranging from $5-$50 mil- lion. The goal is to encourage cities, towns and indigenous communities to put their ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation to work to improve the lives of their resi- dents. In the parlance of the new millenni- um, the Smart City Challenge encourages cities, towns and First Nations communi- ties to disrupt themselves. It gives them permission and incentive to break out of the “we’ve always done it this way” trap. The City of Edmonton is well into its preparations – publishing its Smart City Strategy in 2017. It’s an in-depth document that includes a message from Mayor Don Iveson. In it, Mayor Iveson calls the smart city era the “next frontier for governments”. Using data and analytics will be critical to “make better evidence-based decisions” on how to plan and build communities. Tom Vair is the Deputy CAO - Commu- nity Development and Enterprise Servic- es for the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He says the SCC allows municipalities to hit the rethink-button, and the cash re- ward tends to sharpen the focus on plan- ning. “It forces you to look ahead 10 or 20 years and ask: What do we want to have? What are the things the residents will ex- pect to have so we can build a foundation using SCC funding? It’s a unique opportu- nity to think big and think ahead.” As Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi told a Toronto audience in April 2017, “The Smart Cities Challenge will encourage cities to adopt new and innovative approaches to city building while focussing on innovative, measurable and outcome based solutions.” It also requires the public and private sectors to reconsider their approach to infrastructure design and delivery and promotes a broader discussion and un- derstanding of community needs. Minis- ter Sohi credits the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) for promoting the SCC idea: “Months before launching this $300 million dollar initia- tive in Budget 2017, (the) Council came to visit us and this idea was part of our con- versations. It was bold and something that perfectly caught the needs and inspiration of communities across the country.” CCPPP President and CEO, Mark Romoff, says the Council has long been a supporter of this type of challenge, primarily because it demands a forward thinking conversation. “We have the privilege and pressure of living in the first digital century in history when everything from our energy sources Smart Cities by Dave Trafford Stepping up to the smart cities challenge