IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Ontario has spent a decade and more than $1 billion on eHealth — a grand scheme to computerize the health records of everyone in the province.

The result to date: Almost zip.

Malawi, an impoverished country in southeast Africa, has the records of 1.1 million patients in computers that can be accessed by doctors and health professionals in 10 locations around the country. The total cost: $1 million.

Shared Services Canada, which is integrating a number of IT and telecommunications services across the federal government, has picked Manitoba’s phone company as its IP backbone carrier.

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. said Friday it has signed a multi-year contract to provide business IP and switched Ethernet services to SSC.

"Broadband Internet will mean boundless opportunities for these communities," said Mr. Sorenson. "These latest announcements, together with those from round one announced in May, mean that these Alberta households will soon be online at modern, multimedia-capable speeds."

"I am pleased that the Shared Services Canada Act has received Royal Assent," said Minister Ambrose. "We continue to move forward with our mandate to streamline IT, save money, and end waste and duplication," said Minister Ambrose.

"I am delighted that, as a result of today's announcement, so many individuals, families and businesses across Canada will soon have access to high-speed Internet service for the first time," said Minister Clement. "Canada is poised to make great strides into the digital economy of the 21st century, and this news is a major part of our strategy."

In an epochal notch in the timeline of technological transformation, the metropolis of Montreal will soon be home to Canada’s first smart city. A nudge away from the standard hustle and bustle, Montreal is poised to undergo a digital metamorphosis aiming to enhance the lives of its inhabitants through data-driven urban development.

The smart city program is envisaged as a multifaceted approach to tackle 21st-century challenges. With the ambitious goal of reducing the city’s carbon footprint, this initiative incorporates green tech in several practical applications. From solar-powered public transit to a waste management system powered by AI, the city aims to leverage cutting-edge technology to foster an eco-friendly urban environment.

The situation may be even more worrying than that, though, as one of architects of Canada’s ehealth strategy says the evolution of technology, itself, has all but completely made that plan obsolete.

Both reports are a reaction to the fact that fewer than 40 percent of Canada's primary care doctors have access to EHR, compared to 99 percent of physicians in the Netherlands and 96 percent in the United Kingdom.

Today, TELUS accelerated its commitment to Smart City solutions that empower municipalities to leverage technology and data in new ways to benefit residents’ health and safety, meet sustainability goals, and increase operational efficiencies. Currently, TELUS has deployed technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) to enable Smart City solutions in more than 65 municipalities across Canada. These solutions help city officials track infrastructure usage, save energy with intelligent lighting systems, improve traffic flow, decrease emergency response times, and much more. For residents, the result is a faster commute, getting the help they need faster in an emergency, safer neighbourhoods and public spaces, and even cleaner air to breathe.

The Canadian government will publish a summary of findings in a March 2012 report, according to its open government website.

But we can't afford to rest on our laurels. According to an Accenture spokesperson, there is still work to be done to meet citizens’ growing expectations.

Rogers Business, the enterprise-focused division of Rogers Communications, announced new smart city and smart buildings internet of things (IoT) solutions on Feb. 10.

Expanding Rogers’ existing IoT portfolio, these new solutions from various Rogers partners enhance responsiveness and efficiency in water, parking, traffic, transit and fleet management. New smart buildings solution were also introduced with advanced technologies in air quality, security, and digital signage solutions.

The ePrescribing Program was officially launched in Toronto Wednesday.

Sault Ste. Marie’s Group Health Centre and Collingwood’s Georgian Bay Family Health Team are the two sites selected for the demonstration project.

Entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds assembled at the Smart Cities Connect Fall Conference to showcase emerging smart community technology.

Entrepreneurs present ideas at Smart Cities Connect

What will a smart community of the future look like?

Entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds took a stab at answering that question at the Smart Cities Connect Fall Conference and Expo in a session dedicated to emerging smart technology. Representatives from seven startups at various stages of development presented ideas to a small group of colleagues and answered brief questions. Like Shark Tank, but way more chill.

Huge cost savings will be achieved through standardizing on single systems for functions like email, and by reducing the number of data-centres from over 300 to less than 20.

In particular Liseanne identifies four primary ways that shared services will shape the future of public services:

• generating economic development,
• driving mass collaboration,
• fostering legitimacy and
• enabling front-office agility.

The federal government's super-IT department says data was never put at risk when servers failed and network equipment at a new data centre failed to perform to specification earlier this year.

The problems at the data centre at CFB Borden meant the digital firewall designed to protect against malicious actors was running, but wasn't always easily or readily available, according to internal government documents.

"We want to work with the ICT sector to draw on innovative, proven industry solutions as we transform the Government of Canada's technology platform," said Minister Ambrose. "Their input is vital to helping Shared Services Canada develop a more efficient, secure and cost-effective IT infrastructure to serve Canadians."