March 5, 2019
After more than a year of research and community consultation, the City of Edmonton submitted its proposal for the $50-million top prize in Infrastructure Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge. With the theme ‘Healthy City,’ Edmonton’s proposal uses an innovative, partnership-based approach, to help Edmonton become a healthier, more connected city while improving residents’ quality of life and well-being.
“Edmonton’s innovative Smart City approach to improve health addresses the true needs of the community through a collaboration between public sector organizations, private sector organizations and residents,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “This approach, enabled by technology, analytics and data, will bring Edmonton back to its roots — a place where all residents have equal opportunity to lead healthy lives.”
Incorporating feedback from Edmonton residents and partners, the proposal details the development and phased implementation of a Healthy City program, where the quality of life and well-being of residents will improve through changes to programs, policies and services at a municipal level.
“This proposal celebrates the incredible contributions from Edmonton’s thriving community of innovators across all sectors, and how, by working together, we can become one of Canada’s healthiest cities,” said Wendy Gnenz, the City’s Chief Information Officer and project sponsor for the Smart Cities Challenge.
Partnerships will be fundamental to the success of this program and will involve connections with residents, other levels of government, community organizations, educational institutions and businesses. The City of Edmonton will continue to evolve existing relationships with residents and partners, while leveraging connected technology and data to understand the challenges in the community and create sustainable solutions that are scalable across Canada.
In the fall of 2017, Infrastructure Canada announced the Smart Cities Challenge - an open competition to communities across the country to use data and connected technology to improve the lives of residents. In the spring of 2018, Edmonton was announced as one of five finalists in the competition’s $50-million category, competing against Vancouver/Surrey, Montreal, Quebec City and the Region of Waterloo.
Edmonton’s Smart Cities Challenge final proposal will be reviewed by a 13-person jury and members of the team will participate in a Finalist Showcase in Ottawa in May. Winners of the Smart Cities Challenge are expected to be announced later this spring.
