One person can really make a difference, even within a large organization.
David Nicholl, corporate chief information and information technology officer for the Government of Ontario, affirmed this when he received the Leadership Medal at the Government Technology Exhibition’s Distinction Awards.
The Distinction Awards celebrate best of breed technology and best practice leadership in Canadian and international governments. Nicholl was awarded the Leadership Medal for openly sharing Ontario’s common experiences and lessons learned with other jurisdictions to create helpful benchmarks for all Canadian public sector organizations.
The award recognizes individuals who inspire and mobilize the energies and talents of others that work toward achieving shared goals and objectives of an organization and the people it serves.
“The Government of Ontario has itself been an information technology leader, and recognized with many Distinction Awards in the past, for modernizing corporate tax administration, designing more seamless e-government services, and more,” said Kevin d’Entremont, executive director of the Awards. “Ontario projects won four Distinction Awards in 2009 and seven projects are being honoured again this year.”
Since Nicholl was formally appointed corporate chief information for Ontario on November 26, 2008, he has been leading the modernization of information and information technology with: the enterprise-wide renewal of legacy applications; the establishment of a new Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)-certified Guelph Data Centre; the promotion of green IT initiatives and new technologies to support citizen engagement and government transparency as well as the creation of internal project management resource capabilities.
The I&IT organization was set up to implement the government’s integrated approach to I&IT. The organizational structure is designed to strengthen links between I&IT and the government’s business directions and to enhance leadership and coordination at the corporate level and through the line.
It is made up of the Office of the Corporate Chief Information and Information Technology Officer and nine I&IT clusters. This structure is a major departure from the government’s previous approach, which organized I&IT activities by ministry.
The Ontario Public Service (OPS) has a modern, energetic culture and IT professionals are a part of a collaborative team dedicated to developing innovative I&IT solutions that improve service delivery. The OPS continues to focus on using I&IT to deliver simple, seamless services to its citizens and businesses, ensuring public services are efficient, cost effective and meet the changing needs of the people of Ontario.
Jayani Perera is with the Communications Branch, Ministry of Government Services.
SIDEBAR
The Office of the Corporate Chief Information Officer (OCCIO) includes:
·Office of the Corporate CIO – provides corporate leadership for Information Management and I&IT in the Ontario government.
·Archives of Ontario – provides innovative leadership for managing information in support of being an accountable government; identifying and preserving Ontario’s documentary memory, and promoting and facilitating its use.
·Enterprise Services Strategic Business Unit – provides strategic advice and support to enable the I&IT organization to maximize its people resources in an effort to meet the objectives of the I&IT Strategic Plan.
·Infrastructure Technology Services – manages and delivers I&IT common infrastructure and telecommunications products and services, supporting mission and business critical applications across the OPS.
·Corporate Security Branch – protects and secures the government’s information and information technology infrastructure.
·Office of the Chief Information & Privacy Officer – provides strategic advice and leadership to implement more rigorous common practices for managing information assets across the OPS including recordkeeping, privacy protection and information access.
·Office of the Corporate Chief Strategist – provides leadership in developing enterprise-wide strategies, policies and standards and plans, as well as corporate architecture.
The Nine I&IT Clusters are:
1.Land and Resources Cluster (LRC)
The LRC provides Information and Information Technology support to five ministries: Aboriginal Affairs; Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Environment; Natural Resources; and Northern Development, Mines and Forestry.
2.Central Agencies Cluster (CAC)
The CAC provides IT services to the central organizations of Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Revenue, The Ministry of Energy and The Ministry of Infrastructure.
3.Community Services Cluster (CSC)
The CSC is responsible for the provision of I&IT services to several ministries and related agencies including: Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Ministry of Tourism and Culture; Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat; and Ontario Women’s Directorate.
4.Health Services Cluster (HSC)
The HSC provides services to the ministries of Health and Long-Term Care and Health Promotion.
5.Children, Youth and Social Services Cluster (CYSSC)
The CYSSC provides services to the ministries of Community and Social Services and Children and Youth Services and the Office of Francophone Affairs.
6.Labour and Transportation Cluster (LTC)
The LTC provides services to the ministries of Labour and Transportation.
7.Justice Technology Services Cluster (JTS)
JTS is the IT cluster responsible for providing IT services to the Justice Enterprise. The Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services form the majority of the Justice Enterprise in the Province of Ontario.
8.Government Services Cluster (GSC)
GSC provides I&IT services to ServiceOntario, and the ministries of Consumer Services, Economic Development and Trade and Research and Innovation.
9.Enterprise Services Cluster (ESC)
ESC provides IT services to the Ministry of Government Services and supports enterprise service functions.
