Toronto Launches Civic Innovation Office to Solve Municipal Challenges Through Tech

The City of Toronto announced this week that it has created the Civic Innovation Office.

The office is designed to help solve municipal challenges by creating a bridge between City divisions and Toronto’s innovation and technology communities.

“Toronto is home to a large population of innovators, startups and tech companies who can help the City deliver better services to the public, while promoting a new approach to problem solving within government,” said Mayor John Tory.

The Civic Innovation Office will be housed within the City Manager’s Office and apply technology, data analysis and design thinking to develop and test solutions to challenges faced by Toronto residents. It will work with City divisions and agencies to identify major challenges to be solved through innovative partnerships with external teams, who will work through 16-week stints to deliver solutions that can be procured by the City.

“Governments can learn so much from the innovation community when it comes to how they solve problems through data, design and agile development,” said Councillor Paul Ainslie. “I look forward to seeing the solutions developed through the Civic Innovation Office and the culture shift this will produce inside Toronto City Hall.”

“Toronto is an emerging centre of innovation and technology and home to so much diverse talent,” said Councillor Michelle Holland. “This is a city where people can have an impact and create new solutions, building their lives and their companies, while helping us build a great city.”

The City of Toronto is hiring for positions related to the new office.

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