Community Solutions Network Announced

The Community Solutions Network is a new platform for communities to connect and build a national centre of excellence in open smart cities. A program of Future Cities Canada, the Network is a community-centric platform, serving every type of Canadian community: big, mid-sized, Indigenous, small and northern. As the project lead, Evergreen is working with OpenNorth and partners to provide valuable information, learning opportunities and advisory services in key areas of data and technology for municipal and community leaders, helping to improve the lives of residents. The program runs parallel to the Government of Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge to amplify its impact and objectives to create more liveable, inclusive communities. To read the full press release, see: https://www.evergreen.ca/about/news-releases/future-cities-canada-launches-the-community-solutions-network/

Other initiatives include:

Idea Camp, Ottawa: May 15

Evergreen, in partnership with OpenNorth, will hold the first of the Community Solutions Network’s Idea Camps, taking place on Wednesday, May 15th, 2019 in Ottawa. The Idea Camp will bring together municipal staff, Indigenous leaders and senior staff at other organizations from across the region to learn about emerging trends, issues, and approaches in open smart cities, and gain access to other relevant programs that can support the implementation of local projects. Through a combination of expert training, peer-to-peer learning, and diving into local case studies, participants will leave with the skills to critically evaluate and apply approaches to strengthen access to open data, structure cross-sector governance, and improve public engagement. If you are interested in attend, register at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/idea-campjournee-interactive-dapprentissage-tickets-59326889323

Smart Cities Panel and Collision Day, Vancouver: May 23

Hosted by BC Tech and Future Cities Canada, the Smart Cities Panel and Collision Day will bring together smart city innovators and key decision makers in our municipalities to address today’s most pressing issues. The event will start with a panel delving into current challenges and solutions that are making smart cities a reality for British Columbians. Followed by invite-only, one on one sessions where municipal agencies can collide with smart city solution providers to explore ways to harness the power of technology to build better, smarter, more liveable and inclusive communities in BC.

Smart Cities Portal:

An online resource for community stakeholders in general to support numerous smart cities capacity building opportunities. Scheduled for spring 2019.

Community Resources and Assistance:

Evergreen and Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) are launching a pilot project to deliver community capacity resources to small communities and Indigenous communities in six regions, across Canada. This project will support the recent launch and activities of the Community Solutions Network. A targeted grant (up to $5,000) will be available to support travel or other event support to engage in select opportunities part of the Community Solutions Network. Evergreen will be working with CFC’s national network of community foundations to source candidates for this opportunity to build local innovation capacity and advance smart cities approaches in key areas of data and technology, helping to improve the lives of residents.

Future Cities Summit Nov. 7-9

Mark your Calendar for the Future Cities Summit from November 7-9, 2019 in Toronto at the Evergreen Brick Works.

To learn more see: https://futurecitiescanada.ca/programs-projects/learning-networks/community-solutions-network/