Vaughan becomes first Canadian municipality to join US Ignite

Municipalinofnet.com
March 27, 2019

The City of Vaughan has taken another important step forward to build on our success and advance an agenda to be a Smart City leader, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said. During a meeting of Council on March 19, Council endorsed Mayor Bevilacqua's Member's Resolution for the City of Vaughan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with US Ignite and to join the organization's Smart Gigabit Community.

US Ignite is a non-profit organization that promotes international leadership to develop new applications and to foster an environment for local governments - and technology partners - to work together to improve the lives of citizens through cutting-edge solutions. US Ignite has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency of the United States Congress, entitled Smart Gigabit Communities. This grant will help create a network of smart gigabit city platforms and applications across more than 25 communities. Joining the Smart Gigabit Community will allow Vaughan to strengthen professional networks, access innovative best practices and improve organizational and technical capabilities.

The City's Corporate Services Portfolio developed the MOU with US Ignite and continues working closely with the organization to identify opportunities to advance Council-approved Smart City and Digital Strategy initiatives. Members of the Corporate Services team will attend the April US Ignite Application Summit in Denver where they will formally accept the invitation for Vaughan to participate in this innovative group. Following the Summit, a MOU signing ceremony will take place at the May 1 Council meeting, including a staff presentation about the City's participation in the Summit. 

Vaughan remains a Smart City leader. In 2018, Council established the Mayor's Smart City Advisory Task Force to advance a culture of knowledge and pursue continuous improvement. The group included citizens and accomplished professionals with extensive experience from industries such as healthcare, financial services and environmental sustainability.

The work undertaken by the task force led to a comprehensive submission for the City's participation in the Government of Canada's Smart Cities Challenge. The submission calls for the use of Smart City technology to create a Digital Garden. The Digital Garden concept is about breaking down barriers, improving social cohesion and enhancing engagement and civic participation through the creation of community kiosks, known as Local Gardens. Kiosks would include Internet of things (IoT) sensors to gather data on traffic, parking and air quality; provide administrative City procedures, such as online payments and digital deputations; and offer a one-stop shop for government services, including Service Ontario offerings, among other innovative amenities.

The City's 2019 Budget and 2020-2022 Financial Plan includes approval for a new Smart City study. This will greatly support the City's work to establish a formal Smart City business unit within the Economic and Cultural Development department.