Tuesday, 27 October 2020

MAYOR BEVILACQUA: VAUGHAN AWARDED PLATINUM CERTIFICATION FROM WORLD COUNCIL ON CITY DATA

   

  (Please visit the following link to view the original release on the City of Vaughan's website) 


October 27, 2020

The following statement was issued by Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua after a special presentation during the Oct. 21 Council meeting:  

“The City of Vaughan has been awarded Platinum ISO 37120 certification for 2017 and 2018 from the World Council on City Data (WCCD). This is the highest level of certification from the WCCD, which is a global leader on standardized data that helps to create smart, sustainable, resilient, and prosperous cities. 
 
“The City of Vaughan has also become an early adopter of ISO 37122 – Indicators for Smart Cities. Once completed, Vaughan will be among the first cities globally certified under this new, demand-driven, smart city standard. 
 
“The World Council on City Data continues to champion the belief that globally comparable data is the essential starting point for innovation, global exchange and smart city development. The global organization hosts a network of innovative cities committed to improving services and the quality of life using open city-data. It also provides a consistent and comprehensive platform for standardized urban metrics. 
 
“In May 2015, the City of Vaughan became a WCCD Certified City. I was pleased to attend the 2017 WCCD Global Cities Summit in Dubai on behalf of the City of Vaughan. Collectively, we share a mandate to build smart, sustainable, inclusive and prosperous cities of the future. I remain committed to this mission.  
 
“The City of Vaughan is dynamic, vibrant, and one of Canada’s fastest-growing municipalities.  Major city-building initiatives, including the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and the VMC subway, will continue to benefit from this data sharing partnership. 
 
“In 2018, we established the Mayor’s Smart City Advisory Task Force to focus on creating enhanced opportunities by improving the way data is collected, understood and utilized to safeguard and elevate the quality of life for citizens as well as improve the delivery of public services people and businesses rely on each day.
 
“In November 2019, I was proud to lead the City of Vaughan’s delegation to Israel. Advancing a Smart City agenda was at the heart of our work in this important international market. We held discussions with representatives from Fuel Choices and Smart Mobility Initiative – a project led by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Our delegation also met with researchers at Tel Aviv University, the country's largest post-secondary institution, to discuss the future of Smart City technology and its role in developing autonomous vehicles to improve urban transportation.
 
“As we look toward the future, we will remain unwavering in our efforts to build a safe, welcoming and engaged city where all people are given every opportunity possible to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives. From improving infrastructure and roads to recreation and healthcare, taking a Smart City approach to our work is fundamental to delivering efficient, reliable and innovative city-building.
 
“I am pleased to offer my sincere congratulations to our administration and specifically, to the Transformation and Strategy team for their leadership, passion and dedication to this initiative. This is a remarkable achievement of which you should be very proud.”

Tuesday, 13 October 2020

Greater Sudbury Receives WCCD ISO 37120 Platinum Certification

   

 (Please visit the following link to view the original release on the City of Greater Sudbury's website) 


October 13, 2020

The City of Greater Sudbury is pleased to receive Platinum Certification by the World Council on City Data (WCCD), the highest certification level offered by the Canada-based, global leader in standardized city data, creating smart, sustainable, resilient and prosperous cities. The certification positions the City to compare best practices with award winning cities, on a global level, to further strengthen existing municipal benchmarking efforts to measure the performance of the 58 lines of service offered to the community.  

“I am so proud that we have achieved such a high level of recognition for our work, which directly supports the commitment City Council has made to transparency and accountability through open government,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger. “In these uncertain times, having this data available to us will better position City Council to develop strategic and effective plans to support our residents and the future of our community. We will continue to support initiatives that reinforce and support our leadership in this field, both on a national and international level.”

The City joined the WCCD in January 2020, through the Data for Canadian Cities Project, supported by the Federal Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities. This three-year pilot project includes the collection of 104 globally standardised, comparable and independently verified indicators. Joining the WCCD Global Network aligns Greater Sudbury with almost 100 cities across the world, including 30 across Canada, all committed to leveraging city level data to improve service delivery and quality of life. Greater Sudbury received the certification by reporting over 90 of the 104 indicators, including all 46 core indicators, across 19 themes ranging from public safety to recreation. 

“Local governments are great at sharing information that helps share knowledge about how services can work better or cost less. Demands for our services aren’t going down, so to sustain affordable service levels we need to learn as much as we can from people that have already traveled the same road to effectively map out strong plans for the future,” said Ed Archer, City of Greater Sudbury, Chief Administrative Officer. “Our participation in the World Council on City Data produces important insights that help Council make decisions and provides assurance our services remain affordable, efficient and effective.”

The WCCD three-year pilot project, ISO 37120 Sustainable Development of Communities: Indicators for City Services and Quality of Life, uses a variety of standards including MBNCanada benchmarking data combined with data from the Provincial and Federal governments, including Statistics Canada, to develop a thorough profile of the City’s quality of life. 

"Greater Sudbury is such a vibrant regional hub for financial and business services, tourism, health care and research, education and government for Northeastern Ontario. Additionally, the City is an example throughout Canada and globally in its use of city data to support excellent service delivery, focusing on its residents' quality of life,” said Dr. Patricia McCarney, WCCD President and CEO. “In recognition of this commitment, it is my pleasure to congratulate Mayor Bigger, City Council, and the truly dedicated City Staff on their WCCD ISO 37120 Platinum Certification. Through the three-year “Data for Canadian Cities Project” supported by the Federal Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities, the WCCD looks forward to offering you our ongoing support in your commitment towards becoming even more data-focused while prioritizing sustainability, resilience, inclusivity and prosperity for the residents of Greater Sudbury." 

“All communities, large and small, need good data to plan and build modern public infrastructure. Meeting global data standards is critical. Through the Data for Canadian Cities Project, in partnership with the World Council on City Data, we’ve been helping municipal leaders in a number of communities across Canada do just that,” said the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities. “I am delighted that Greater Sudbury has obtained the ISO standard for municipal data. This will help the city plan projects with quality data and will help guide evidence-based decision-making. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country and builds stronger communities.” 

The WCCD pilot project adds to the complement of benchmarking activities currently in place for Greater Sudbury, including participation in the Annual BMA Study and Municipal Benchmarking Network Canada (MBNCan). 

More information on the City’s benchmarking and performance measurement practices can be found at greatersudbury.ca/benchmarking. 

To learn more about the WCCD, visit dataforcities.org.

Tuesday, 6 October 2020

City of Corner Brook Receives WCCD Platinum-Level Certification for City Data

   

 (Please visit the following link to view the original release on the City of Corner Brook's website)



October 6, 2020

Last night at 6:30 p.m., Corner Brook City Council was joined virtually by the President & CEO of the World Council on City Data, Dr. Patricia McCarney and MP for Long Range Mountains Gudie Hutchings, to receive the City’s WCCD ISO 37120 Platinum Certification.

Joining a group of thirty Canadian cities, and almost 100 cities globally, the City of Corner Brook, its employees and its City Council are honoured to receive this important recognition from the WCCD, as part of the Federal Ministry of Infrastructure supported “Data for Canadian Cities Project.”

Receiving the Platinum Certification – which marks Corner Brook as a data-driven municipality – the City joins  the ranks of other data-driven municipalities across Canada and the Globe including London, Boston, and Dubai – alongside Canadian cities such as Kitchener, Toronto, Sudbury, Yellowknife and Edmonton. In addition to Corner Brook, two other Newfoundland and Labrador cities have received this Certification (St. John’s and Mount Pearl.)The data provided will be able to provide calculable benchmarks for Corner Brook to use in developing itself as a diverse hub for the Bay of Islands and Humber Valley region.

In the coming months and years, the City of Corner Brook forward to future collaboration with the WCCD, as the three-year “Data for Canadian Cities Project” supports the city in not only data collection, but in putting that data to use to the benefit of City residents.

Organized across nineteen city service and quality of life themes, the 104 indicators within WCCD’s ISO 37120 standard enable Canadian municipalities to compare their progress with counterparts across the country and worldwide. These themes include the environment, economy, education, governance, finance, transportation, recreation and health, amongst others. Data compiled through this Project supports municipalities in better measuring the impacts of local-level policies, while also informing and directing public and private sector investment in the city.

Quotes:

“Corner Brook is a vibrant regional hub for natural resource manufacturing, education and government – all underscored by City Council’s dedication to harnessing data to drive a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous future for the City’s residents. It is through this lens that I am especially pleased to award Corner Brook with WCCD’s ISO 37120 Platinum Certification through the federally-supported “Data for Canadian Cities Project.” Congratulations to Mayor Parsons, City Council and Staff for this significant achievement. On behalf of the WCCD, I look forward to working with you all to assist in your vision of creating a smarter, more sustainable, resilient, prosperous and inclusive future for your residents.”

  • WCCD President and CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney

“All communities, large and small, need good data to plan and build modern public infrastructure. Meeting global data standards is critical. Through the Data for Canadian Cities Project, in partnership with the World Council on City Data, we’ve been helping municipal leaders in a number of communities across Canada do just that. I am delighted that the City of Corner Brook has obtained the ISO standard for municipal data. This will help the City plan projects with quality data and will help guide evidence-based decision-making. Canada’s infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country and builds stronger communities.”

  • The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“At the City of Corner Brook we value innovation. The City today is very different than the City 20-30 years ago—we’re constantly exploring new techniques and technologies to solve age old municipal problems. An important part of facing that challenge is understanding where you currently stand, and where you stand relative to other municipalities in our own country and around the world. This is where the World Council on City Data and the ISO 37120 Platinum Certification comes in. We’re very proud to say Corner Brook is a data-driven City.  I’d like to thank WCCD and our staff for working together to harvest this important data.” 

  • Mayor Jim Parsons, Corner Brook

Monday, 5 October 2020

WCCD Welcomes City of Richmond Hill to the WCCD Network at the Highest, Platinum Level

   

(Please visit the following link to view the original release on the City of Richmond Hill's website)  

 

October 5, 2020

RICHMOND HILL – The City of Richmond Hill has earned the highest level of ISO 37120 certification from the World Council on City Data (WCCD) as part of the “Data for Canadian Cities Pilot Project”. Through the ISO 37120 certification, Richmond Hill joins a global network of 100 cities across more than 30 countries – including a network of 30 Canadian cities of all sizes.

The three-year project, funded by Canada’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities, facilitates the collection of standard indicators at the municipal level in year one. As the project continues into years two and three, Richmond Hill will be able to both measure progress over time and also to assess performance and learn from other cities locally and globally using an “apples-to-apples” comparison. WCCD will assist Richmond Hill and other participating municipalities to use the data to improve city services and quality of life for citizens.  

Richmond Hill was able to collect data to support over 90 out of the 104 indicators within ISO 37120, which then underwent independent verification.

Richmond Hill’s ISO 37120 platinum certification will be presented virtually by representatives of the WCCD to the Mayor and Council at the October 28 Council meeting.

Quotes

“This certification demonstrates our commitment to measuring our progress as a City and using that data to improve services and quality of life in Richmond Hill. As the project continues, we will continue to benefit from more robust comparators and also help others throughout the world by openly sharing our data. It’s one of the ways we are making sure our city continues to be a great place to live and a smart place to invest.”

-       Dave Barrow, Mayor

“The City of Richmond Hill is pleased to be part of the Data for Canadian Cities Pilot Project and show our commitment to tracking and understanding data to learn and improve. That’s what makes our city a place people will want to be for years to come.”

-       Mary-Anne Dempster, City Manager

"The City Council and Staff of Richmond Hill are well known for their commitment to providing exceptional public service to the entire community. Moreover, the City's work in leveraging data to drive a more prosperous, inclusive, sustainable, resilient and prosperous future has marked the City as an exceptional example both in Ontario and globally. On behalf of the WCCD, it is my pleasure to award the City of Richmond Hill with WCCD's ISO 37120 Platinum Certification through the federally-supported “Data for Canadian Cities Project.”  With your continued participation in this important, three-year Project, the WCCD looks forward to supporting the City in its commitment to exceptional service delivery. Congratulations to Mayor Barrow, City Council and all of the dedicated staff on this significant achievement." 

-       WCCD President and CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney

"All communities, large and small, need good data to plan and build modern public infrastructure. Meeting global data standards is critical. Through the Data for Canadian Cities Project, in partnership with the World Council on City Data, we've been helping municipal leaders in a number of communities across Canada do just that. I am delighted that the City of Richmond Hill has obtained the ISO standard for municipal data. This will help the City plan projects with quality data and will help guide evidence-based decision-making. Canada's infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country and builds stronger communities."

-       The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

Quick Facts

  • The World Council on City Data (WCCD) was founded in 2014 and exists to help communities of all sizes – in Canada and across the globe – to embrace standardized, independently verified and globally comparable city data to become more sustainable, resilient, prosperous inclusive and smart.
  • ISO 37120 sustainable Cities and communities – Indicators for city services and quality of life is an internationally-recognized certification and uses 104 standardized indicators, across 19 themes, to measure a city's social, economic and environmental performance. To achieve platinum certification, Richmond Hill was required to report on 90 of these indicators.

Media Contact

Libbi Hood, Communications Advisor

416-522-2816, libbi.hood@richmondhill.ca