Many were excited when Sidewalk Labs (the urban innovation branch of Google’s Alphabet) won a competition to develop Toronto’s Quayside neighbourhood, promising to integrate data and urban design.
Yet, the project has proved controversial for many reasons, not least of which are questions surrounding data collection and use.
Accessibility Ontario has a great initiative with two webinars next month:
We are keeping the CDP User Survey open a bit longer.
As members of the data community, you know how important it is for us to get a high volume of responses. Please take a few minutes to answer some questions about the program and the website.
Why get involved? Action plans help set commitments and define how we will make progress for a two-year period.
Examples of commitments from previous plans:
From the Community Indicators Consortium in the US, an interesting webinar on how Essex County (Massachusetts) tracks their quality of life indicators.
This coffee-break webinar provides a broad description of Impact Essex County Indicators’ structure, indicators and accomplishments. The project spans 100 indicators tracking the quality of life in Essex County (Massachusetts – USA), spotlighting where the county shines and where it struggles.
From Statistics Canada:
Statistics Canada is offering a new workshop based on the 2016 Census in Toronto and Ottawa this March!
How to Use Census Data (1 Day)
Conducted every five years, the Census of Population is the most comprehensive source of data on the demographic, social and economic characteristics of Canadians.
CDP members will want to check out the latest SPAR Monitor, newsletter sent out by the Social Policy Analysis & Research unit of the Social Development, Finance and Administration division at the City of Toronto.
This issue features the Fraser Institute’s Human Freedom Index report and CCSD’s very own Strength in Numbers series.
The newsletter is attached.
Want to keep track of CDP’s latest acquisitions? Schedule B lists data products that the CCSD Community Data Program intends to acquire during the 2017-2018 program year (running from April 1 to March 31).
We have updated our Schedule B to reflect changes in the status of orders as well as to account for delays in the delivery of certain products. Schedule B can be downloaded from the Program Resources page.
Canada’s biggest cities tend to get most of the attention when we talk about data, but there are many resources for rural communities as well. The Rural Ontario Institute has put together a Fact-finder’s Guide to Local and Regional Data: How to Find National Statistics, which highlights data sources for rural communities, including the Community Data Program!
This year, 2018, is the 100th anniversary of Statistics Canada, created as the Dominion Bureau of Statistics in 1918. The agency shows no signs of slowing down in its old age, in fact, it’s just getting started- in the world of data, 100 could well be the new 30!
Statistics Canada conducted its most successful census ever in 2016, with a 98.4% participation rate. Last year, the agency launched its exciting modernization agenda, sharing many new data products of use to CDP members.