ITAC Commends the Government of Canada’s Announcement of a new Smart Cities Challenge

Earlier this week as part of the Fall Economic Update, the Government of Canada announced that it was planning to launch a new Smart Cities Challenge initiative in 2017. The Economic Update notes that under the plan, “Participants will create ambitious plans to improve the quality of life for urban residents, through better city planning and implementation of clean, digitally connected technology including greener buildings, smart roads and energy systems, and advanced digital connectivity for homes and businesses.”

The program will be based on the successful model in the U.S., which in 2016 the Obama administration committed over $80 million in federal funding.

 ITAC CEO Robert Watson applauds the federal government for this initiative, noting that “ITAC has been advocating for the creation of national strategy on smart cities and the internet of things for several years and it is fantastic to see that the government is listening and moving forward with this important initiative. Not only will investments in smart cities support the creation and deployment of technologies that improve productivity and quality of life, they also support the more efficient use of resources and help reduce carbon emissions.”

ITAC looks forward to working with the federal government along with provincial and municipal partners to make the program a success.

ITAC’s 2016 report on the IoT,  Seizing the Internet of Things Opportunity, which recommends the creation of a national IoT strategy, is available on our website.

For additional questions, please contact David Messer, Senior Director – Policy, ITAC at dmesser@itac.ca