The city of Toronto announced that it’s participating in the federal Smart Cities Challenge, and is inviting the public to share ideas on how tech can improve life in Toronto.
“The city has done a lot of work to leverage data and technology to help improve the quality of life in Toronto,” said mayor John Tory. “The Smart Cities Challenge provides us with an incredible opportunity to help make Toronto a smarter city. We want the public to share their ideas for how we can solve big challenges and improve Toronto for everyone.”
The Canadian government announced the $50 million Smart City Challenge in November 2017, and asks municipalities, local or regional governments, and Indigenous communities to submit applications to fund smart cities initiatives. A list of finalists will be released in Summer 2018, and a judging committee will award these individuals $250,000 to develop their proposals.
“Smart city initiatives can improve all aspects of livability and opportunity in a city,” said Michael Kolm, the City’s Chief Transformation Officer. “We’re committed to improving public services – now and in the future – and the Smart Cities Challenge will help to inspire new smart approaches to make a difference in Toronto.”
The city has leveraged tech to streamline its processes and experiences in the past; in November 2017, it partnered with Waze to improve the city’s traffic awareness, and its DineSafe portal provides restaurant food inspection results from the past two years.
Cities can find more information on submitting ideas here, which are due by February 2.
Photo via Unsplash