As smart cities become our norm, we must be smart about a data strategy
Canadians’ attention has been drawn to the issue of smart cities by the public debate over the merits of Sidewalk Labs’ proposed Quayside development in Toronto. The project brings home a vision of cities embedded with sensors that continuously harvest data about infrastructure and human activity alike. The intense discussions that have broken out around […]
Bains says legislative changes needed to update privacy rules
Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains says the federal government supports legislative changes to Canada’s privacy regime to protect Canadians’ data and meet new “challenges of the digital world.” In an email Q&A interview with The Hill Times, Mr. Bains (Mississauga-Malton, Ont.) said this week the Liberal government “agrees that legislative changes to Canada’s privacy regime are needed,” […]
Canada bought more than a pipeline when it bought the Trans Mountain project
When the federal government bought the Trans Mountain pipeline project for $4.4-billion, it was not looking for a good deal on the underlying assets. It was looking to ensure that a federally approved project with huge implications for Canada’s economy got built. Purchasing the project was a final—albeit imperfect—option. For this reason, questions emerging from […]
We can do more to make Canada more accessible, inclusive
“The decency of a society is measured by how it cares for its least powerful members,” wrote Rabbi Harold Kushner. These words ring especially true when it comes to people with disabilities. While policy-makers have achieved progress in making Canada more accessible and inclusive, significant deficiencies remain. Last week, in an effort to address some […]
How regions become innovation hubs
With an eye toward the upcoming 2019 federal election, public sector officials are looking for new approaches to improve the economic vitality of their economies, the livelihood of their citizens and, not coincidentally, their electoral prospects. Public sector efforts in Canada and the United States include: federal investments in field crop research and innovation, the […]
Microgrids eyed as new way to deliver macro impact
On Aug. 14, 2003, the lights went out across much of Ontario and several northeastern states. The Milky Way, normally only visible in more remote communities, could be seen from downtown Toronto, as light pollution was no longer obscuring the solar system. Some 10 million Ontarians were affected, while nearly 50 million Americans were left […]
‘Taliban Jack’ was right all along
OTTAWA—Way back in 2006, when Canadian soldiers suddenly found themselves engaged in combat in Afghanistan with a resurgent Taliban, former NDP leader Jack Layton questioned why we wouldn’t try to negotiate with this resistance force. At the time, the newly elected Harper Conservatives were at their bellicose best, insisting that Canada would not “cut and […]
Public-private partnerships an ‘extraordinary opportunity’ to renew relations with Indigenous communities: experts
The emergence of green energy provides a “once in a generation” opportunity for Canada to improve its approach to engaging with Indigenous communities about major energy projects, a House committee heard as it began a study on an issue that has dogged the Liberal government for its entire mandate. Greg Poelzer, a professor in the University of […]
Canada’s Conservatives will connect communities
As an MP and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s shadow minister for innovation, science, and economic development, I get many invitations to talk about rural internet access and get outside the so-called Ottawa bubble. Hearing directly from those who live in rural or remote communities is important for us to truly put people before government. A […]
Reframing Canada’s global AI leadership: a realistic path to the top
All signs point to artificial intelligence (AI) being key to the new economy and perhaps even the 21st century as a whole. But in the world of policy, AI is an abused term that is subject to misinterpretation and political posturing, not to mention real confusion. In Canada, many decision-makers and commentators seem to agree that […]
