Ontario launches ‘Code for Canada’ organization to help improve services
The non-profit organization brings together coders and designers with governments to find high-technology “solutions to improve people’s lives.”

thestar.com
By ROBERT BENZIE
April 5, 2017

The Ontario government will spend $700,000 to help decipher the code to providing better and cheaper services.

Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, who is the minister for digital governance, announced Wednesday the province is co-founding Code for Canada.

That’s a new non-profit organization that will bring together coders and designers with governments to find high-technology “solutions to improve people’s lives.”

“People in Ontario deserve government services that are simpler, faster and easier to use,” Matthews said at Shopify’s offices on Spadina Ave.

“Code for Canada creates a valuable opportunity to connect government, technology sector and community innovators to deliver the best user experience for people,” she said.

The agency’s executive director Gabe Sawhney said “like the best technology, our governments can - and should - be user-centred, iterative, and data driven.”

Sawhney said the hope is that Code for Canada can find ways to improve government services in an efficient way.

There are similar “civic tech” coding organizations in the U.S., Australia, and Germany‎ that have undertaken projects to increase access to legal services, help job seekers find new posts, and tackled “food deserts” in cities so low-income earners can have healthy groceries.