Ottawa launches project to improve data collection in Canadian cities

Thelogic.co
July 29, 2019
Amanda Roth

The federal government is committing $3 million for the World Council on City Data (WCCD) to work with 15 municipalities on ways to collect data and measure the performance of municipal services. The data will help inform decision-making aimed at improving residents’ quality of life as well as establishing and meeting sustainable development goals. The announcement was made at the WCCD’s Toronto headquarters, and attended by Adam Vaughan, member of Parliament for Spadina--Fort York, and Patricia McCarney, the WCCD’s CEO.

Municipalities around the world have been increasing their collection of data in an effort to more accurately measure quality of life and municipal-services standards. The WCCD, established in 2014, has worked with over 100 cities globally on the collection of data on topics like housing, infrastructure, employment, education, energy use and health. That information informs municipal decisions and drive public and private investment. The WCCD has worked with Canadian municipalities in the past, including Toronto; Surrey, B.C.; and Quebec City. The data municipalities gather can help them track their progress on goals around public transit, water systems, renewable energy, community and cultural centres, and other areas of development and infrastructure, and compare their actions with other cities around the world with similar goals.