IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

In the heart of Markham, where history meets innovation, a digital revolution is underway. The city is poised to embark on a remarkable journey, one that promises to redefine the very essence of urban living.

With technology as its compass and sustainability as its guide, Markham is charting a course toward becoming a leading global smart city.

And despite repeated assurances from the government, that progress is being made, many doctors still struggle to get timely access to basic medical records and patients continue to face needless risks and treatment delays the program has failed to deliver what the public was promised - efficient access to electronic health records.

“I strongly believe this is a first in Canada; it’s definitely a first in Ontario,” said Dr. Derek Manchuk, critical care lead for the North East Local Health Integration Network and the project’s lead.

With the advent of the Internet of Things and other technologies, Toronto and other urban areas are looking to be “smarter cities” when tackling critical issues – from climate change to affordable housing.

There’s just one problem.

“Smart cities are only smart if they have relevant data,” says Mark Fox, a professor of industrial engineering in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and a distinguished professor of urban systems engineering.

In an effort to make the province's best doctors and treatments available to Windsor-Essex residents with less hassle and cost, local health care providers are offering telemedicine - consultations with specialists far away via teleconference with the help of a specialized nurse.

Think of it as a doctor's visit via Skype... but with a hack-proof, ultra-quick network connection.

eleven-x tapped for wireless, real-time monitoring of 5,000 parking spaces in Arlington VA.

Arlington County in Virginia has selected the Waterloo-based startup eleven-x for one of the biggest deployments of smart-parking technology in North America.

Eleven-x will embed 5,000 sensors in the pavement of on-street parking spaces in Arlington’s commercial district. The sensors will communicate with the eleven-x software platform, eXactpark, that provides real-time information on whether a spot is vacant or not.

London politicians approved the draft strategy at the city's Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee

A "Smart City" uses technology and data collection to enhance the lives of its residents and increase its competitiveness with other cities.

And now, London, Ont., could become just that.

Question remains whether the vision for Markham Centre will be embraced by the people it aims to serve

As the dawn of 2024 breaks over Markham, the city is charging ahead with its ambitious urban development plans, aiming not just to grow in size but also to emerge as a beacon of smart city innovation in the north.

Positioned as Toronto's comparable in the northern region, Markham's strides in urban development show no signs of slowing down.

There's about a 20 per cent chance — not insignificant — you and others could be served elsewhere.

Almost one in five people visiting an emergency department could be treated for their conditions in other places that wouldn't tax limited hospital resources, according to a new report released Thursday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

An electronic system to help doctors provide better care for patients with this chronic and deadly illness was routinely put forward as a success story amid the setbacks in the broader goal of delivering e-health records to all Ontarians.

The idea that citizens should have extensive access to the information their governments collect and employ is fairly new, and is part of the broader phenomenon of open government. Sameer Vasta of the MaRS Discovery District, an innovation centre in Toronto, says governments are buying into the benefits of such openness. "When we talk about open data, it's really a subset of open government," Vasta says. "If you look at open government as coming up with solutions with society versus for society, the sharing of information just makes sense."

"It's a real opportunity for people to have a say in what they would find useful and valuable," eHealth Saskatchewan CEO Susan Antosh said in an interview Monday. "It will help us determine our priorities, how we move forward and how quickly. I really encourage them to participate and have their voices heard."

Eventually, every person in Saskatchewan will have an electronic health record - a private, lifetime record of medical information that will give authorized health care professionals immediate access to test results, past treatments and medication profiles.

A federal agency has launched the next phase of a massive project to consolidate hundreds of thousands of government email accounts under one umbrella.

The initiative will begin to herd some 640,000 email boxes, spread across hundreds of servers, in a bid to rationalize a balkanized system that's inefficient, costly and vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Much of the costs associated with a “technology roadmap” for 2013 to 2016 involve “sustainment and modernization investments” to get older infrastructure and assets up to snuff, as well as spending on “building blocks” necessary for the city’s so-called Service Ottawa initiative and future eGovernment projects. Streamlining under Service Ottawa makes it easier for residents to do more city business online and is meant to save about $6.6 million a year overall.

After a decade of false starts and spending scandals, Ontario's move from paper charts to electronic health records is still grinding on, but Dr. Gregory Rose is a few steps ahead of most physicians.

Rose, an infectious disease specialist, is among 240 doctors at The Ottawa Hospital who are the first in Ontario to be linked to provincewide databases that give them a more complete picture of a patient's health.

Ten years ago, Canada held the distinction of being the top ranked country in the world for the breadth and sophistication of its electronic government services. Citing the Canadian government’s integrated, strategic approach, annual assessments by Accenture found that more important services were offered online in Canada than anywhere else.

While it's been more than a year since the federal government created Shared Services Canada and announced plans for a massive consolidation of IT service delivery and IT procurement, members of the government reseller channel say they remain unclear what the changes will mean for them.

By 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the global population will reside in urban areas. This shift signifies a transition to a predominantly urban economy. Cities will need to evolve and adapt to cater to their expanding populations.

Urbanization presents opportunities for economic growth, enhanced living standards, and increased cultural diversity. Historical data underscores this trend: since 1950, the world’s urban population has surged from 751 million to 4.4 billion. This trajectory is expected to continue, potentially doubling the current urban population by 2050.

On Aug. 4, the federal government announced a new agency, Shared Services Canada, charged with cutting government IT costs by rolling more than 100 e-mail systems into one and more than 300 data centres into 20 across 44 federal departments. The agency’s $2-billion annual budget equals about 40 per cent of Ottawa’s yearly $5 billion in IT spending.

Consolidation and standardization seem like good ways to reduce IT costs. But the plan, announced by Treasury Board President Tony Clement and Minister of Public Works Rona Ambrose, is still vague.

National Revenue Minister Gail Shea announced Tuesday that college, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Business Development, will receive $220,466 towards the purchase of computer and specialized equipment for a new e-health Training and Industry Support Centre.

The Province will provide students with financial assistance under the Skills P.E.I. program.