Toronto Public Library should control data collected at Quayside, Board of Trade says

Thestar.com
January 10, 2019
Donovan Vincent

The Toronto Region Board of Trade is calling for the Toronto Public Library to oversee and create policies related to data collected at Sidewalk Labs’ proposed smart city.

But is the library the best place for this?

A new report from the Toronto Board of Trade says the Toronto Public Library should oversee data governance at Quayside and other future smart city projects in Toronto because the library is a “longstanding public institution with broad respect in the technology community.”

In a 17-page report released Wednesday called BiblioTech (a play on the French word bibliotheque, which means library in English), the board of trade said it chose the Toronto Public Library -- which has 100 branches across the city and more than 10 million books -- to oversee data governance at Quayside and other future smart city projects in Toronto because the library is a “long-standing public institution with broad respect in the technology community.”

The library is also known for its “balanced approach” to data policy and information management, the board said in a statement Wednesday.

The library likes the idea.

“We are happy to consider the recommendations and discuss potential models that are in keeping with public library values with stakeholders including Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs,” said spokesperson Ana-Maria Critchley.

“Public libraries are defenders of digital privacy and have expertise in data policy and information management. We have long played a role in city building and welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can continue to evolve this role in the civic data realm,” Critchley said in a statement.

The Waterfront Toronto controversy explained

However, she added, “given the complexity of the issues and the expertise and consultations that would be required to inform the work, Toronto Public Library would absolutely require extra resources.”

Toronto developer Julie Di Lorenzo, who resigned from Waterfront Toronto’s board in August over the Quayside plan, says libraries are “noble public assets” and added that it’s good that the board of trade is searching for solutions to the “predicament” surrounding data collection at Quayside.

The board’s idea has “potential,” Di Lorenzo says.

Shauna Brail, an associate professor in University of Toronto’s urban studies program and an expert on tech and innovation, says the library is “definitely suited” to take on the task of overseeing Quayside’s data.

“It’s an interesting proposition that engages private and public sector organizations in supporting a way forward for some of the challenges that Toronto is facing with respect to conversations about trust, data privacy, governance and smart cities,” she added.

The board of trade report comes as Manhattan-based Sidewalk Labs, a sister company of Google, is partnering with Waterfront Toronto in the hopes of building a 2,500-unit smart city on a parcel of land near Queens Quay E. and Parliament St. that would feature sensors, as well as data collection of residents and visitors, all aimed at making their lives more efficient.

But the proposal, which is currently in the draft master plan phase, has drawn criticism from experts who are concerned the data collection will impinge on personal privacy. Others have expressed concerns that economic benefits from the data won’t flow to entrepreneurs in the GTA or Canada.

In October, a member of a panel of tech experts advising Waterfront Toronto on Quayside resigned amid her concerns about financial benefits leaving this country, and frustrations that Waterfront Toronto was taking a back seat on the data control issue.

In October, Sidewalk Labs called for the establishment of a “civic data trust” that would control the data from Quayside.

The Toronto Region Board of Trade says its own recommendations can help resolve these thorny issues.

The Toronto Public Library should “determine the structure of a long-term data hub,” considering the models of a data trust or a data “repository” housed inside the library, the board says.

For example, sensors intended to derive data from public and publicly accessible spaces would need to be approved by the data hub before installation, the board of trade report suggests.

The storage and use of the data from any sensors would also be approved by the hub, through a public and transparent process, the board says.

So, for instance, if smart thermostats were installed in residents’ units at Quayside and management wanted access to data from the devices, the data hub could safeguard personal information.

The data hub would be overseen by Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, and the public should share in the financial gains from intellectual property commercialized through the Quayside project and other smart city endeavours, the board suggests.

Board president and CEO Jan De Silva says most of the members of her organization “strongly support” Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto’s efforts to develop the project at Quayside.

“Sidewalk’s Quayside pilot has the potential to be a marquee project for the City of Toronto’s tech community,” De Silva said in a statement.

“But for Toronto to be a relevant global city in the new economy and for tech companies to commercialize their innovations at home here in Canada, we need to get our policies in order on data governance.”

She went on to say that other cities around the world are actively preparing for challenges pertaining to the use of data.

While the report was put together in response to the debate around Quayside, Toronto’s technology economy needs “consistent data and intellectual property policies that go beyond Quayside,” the board says.

“We know other businesses are asking questions about what’s appropriate on the issue of capturing public data, and we know (Toronto) is dealing with similar challenges of its own with public realm data,” said De Silva.

“It’s time for cities to start answering these questions, alongside broader provincial and federal policies to address these issues,” she added.

The board noted that a recent study found about 82,000 people are employed by 450 smart city companies in the Toronto region. These companies produce data-driven products intended to reduce traffic congestion, lower accidents, help reduce crime, reduce carbon emissions, and improve waste collection.

But the board said data collected in the public realm is “distinct,” in that people may not know data about them is being collected.

Sorting out who will oversee the data generated at Quayside will speed future smart city projects in Toronto, thus spurring more innovation and economic growth, the report argues.

Sidewalk Labs spokesperson Keerthana Rang said the firm is “pleased to see actionable proposals from a leading organization in Toronto and hope that others will follow with their own proposals.”