Building Digital Talent Across Government Teams

We live in a world these days where almost every service has a digital component, and that is as true in the private sector as it is in the public sector. For instance, no agency, department or company is legitimate without a website, though an information-only website it not sufficient; it needs to be a portal for interaction and service provision. Hillary Hartley, the Deputy Minister and Chief Digital and Data Officer at the Ontario Digital Service, which is part of the Ministry of Finance, says that the digitization of society means that the public expects to be able to …

Challenging Bias and Barriers & How to Champion for Change and Become a Better Ally in the Workplace

When is the right time to step up? Lena Metlege Diab says that if you were to sit and think about when is the right time to have a baby, many of us may never find the right time for it. We may never be ready. But sometimes you just need to take the plunge and hopefully it turns out good on the other side. The same is true for women’s advocacy, whether it’s politics or leadership roles, particularly if we have a drive for it. The biggest inhibiting factor is self-belief. As a woman, when you speak out, you …

How to Encourage Talent Development, Training and Upskilling for Women within Public Sector

Not all women are born feminists. Maureen Towle, the Assistant Deputy Minister for Service Alberta Data, Information and Privacy Services Division within the Government of Alberta, says that for a long time she didn’t support days focused on women or the issues that feminism represented. In part this may be because for most of her childhood, she didn’t notice the little things that other women did, though they were there. On top of that, for her career before politics, she worked in female dominated disciplines, mostly in admin support, with many women, so the issues around feminism were not as …

Marketing and Communications for Municipalities

Most organizations, especially in the public sector, are constantly looking to improve their marketing and communications in order to better connect with their constituents. This is especially the case in the local government sector. Municipalities work locally and therefore want their messages to resonate with their residents. But given the constant barrage of news and information, it is often hard to create messages that have meaning. Partly for that reason, Edmonton Global was created in Alberta in early 2019. Chris McLeod MBA, the Vice President of Global Marketing & Communications, says that they are an economic development organization that focuses …

Local Government Digital Transformation

The challenges of the last two years have shone a light on some of the broader issues across society. In the local government context, this has included the need for greater collaboration, and better use of existing and new technology. In fact, those councils that have been able to adapt to the barriers that have been placed in front of them by making better use of technology have been able to survive and even thrive during this period. Some councils and local government organizations have even been able to share their knowledge with others and work collaboratively in order to …

Building a Sustainable and Resilient Future through Smart City Planning at the Town of Bridgewater

Most people, irrespective of where they live, want their lives to be enhanced by all of the technologies that are available, yet it is often the smaller and more regional places that seem to get overlooked. The Town of Bridgewater, on the south shore of Nova Scotia, was determined to not be left behind. Leon de Vreede, the Sustainability Planner within the Community Development Department of Town of Bridgewater, says that despite their meagre population of 8,600, for a decade or so they have been undertaking innovation related initiatives particularly in the field of energy and climate.

Building Capacity and Mobilizing Technologies to Foster Community Safety, Well-Being and Inclusivity

Ensuring the safety of citizens The safety of every city is of paramount importance, and this is particularly the case when it comes to looking after the most vulnerable. Emergency services like police and ambulance do what they can, but sometimes they are stretched and don’t have the capacity to a…

Navigating a Changing Workplace and Building Better Policies and Teams for the Future

The City of Toronto, like so many other government institutions across the world, has a large real estate holding. In fact, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when most people were consigned to working from home, they discovered that their footprint was possibly too large, and this has been borne out even more now that many workers are coming back to the office. Not only is not everyone back yet, but many of those that are back don’t want to work in the office five days a week and want to collaborate more with their colleagues. All of this has come to …