[Advisors] "digital strategy" canada?
Marita Moll
mmoll at ca.inter.net
Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:35:53 -0500
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Hi Kristina. Thanks for your points below. We want to stay positive
and we want to keep discussions going.
Many of the people on this list would love to showcase what they are
doing and share their ideas on how a digital strategy should evolve in
Canada. In fact, TC and its community partners have been active
participants in any digital economy consultations that have been
accessible to them. But it costs $600 to go to your meeting not
including transportation and accommodation costs. That kind of
disposable money simply does not exist at the community level for people
who are actively working on connecting communities. They are many,
small and under resourced -- both with time and money.
I am guessing that not many of the participants at I-Canada events are
funding their participation out of their own pockets. And, as far as I
know, the funding pockets that support these sorts of things (research
grants, industry outreach/pr budgets) are not usually accessible to
community workers -- catch-22.
Some of this is documented in papers (all online) in the book about
Canadian community networks that came out of the SSHRC funded Canadian
Research Alliance for Community Innovation (CRACIN)
http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120193.
Marita Moll
On 2/23/2013 2:38 PM, Kristina Verner wrote:
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I have been quietly following along with the discussion, and, while
> James has articulated much of what I was going to say, I did want to
> share some additional information regarding i-CANADA, as there appears
> to be a continued misunderstanding of what i-CANADA is doing, who is
> involved, and how it may be able to help move the discussions forward
> for many intelligent community related matters in the Canadian
> context, including broadband services, digital inclusion, and also in
> terms of helping to craft a digital strategy moving forward.
>
> As many of you may know, I am also actively involved with i-CANADA and
> have been since fairly close to its inception when I was in
> community-University research initiative down at the University of
> Windsor. The co-founders of i-CANADA reached out to me when
> Windsor-Essex was named in the Top 7 Intelligent Communities globally
> to see if there were transferrable lessons that they could share with
> other communities to help them overcome some of their digital economy
> challenges.
>
> After the ICF awards cycle completed, I also worked with i-CANADA and
> served as host for the first national summit in Windsor, where we had
> representation from approximately 80 communities from across the
> country, and approximately 150 folks in attendance. The majority of
> the attendees were either municipal leaders or economic development
> staff. However, we had representation from the health, education (both
> K-12 and post secondary, arts, digital media, planning and design and,
> the ICT sector (both private sector and accelerator-type of groups in
> the form of not-for-profit regional RICs). The private sector
> representation was focused on some of the "art of the possible"
> discussions to help illustrate to the attendees that broadband was
> simply a means to an end, but not the end itself. Various projects
> were highlighted from various sizes of communities - ranging from
> Golden BC to Waterfront Toronto (some of these presentations showcased
> projects that were municipally lead, with others driven significantly
> by the grassroots and cross-sectoral in nature). There were
> discussions across various sectors include arts and culture, health,
> sustainability, etc. While there were sponsors (as is the case at any
> conference), there was no exhibition space, and no real vehicle
> provided for private sector agendas to be pushed along.
>
> The second national summit was held in Montreal in October. While
> there were more private sector attendees, they were sharing lessons
> learned on topics such as social business and business process
> transformation - they weren't priming the pump or peddling their wares
> in the least. Attendees were able to hear about the latest
> developments in the research and education networks (including how
> ORION is now working more closely with the municipal sector), and
> first responders. Crowd-funding as a creative solution to overcoming
> the financial barriers to innovation was also discussed. It is key to
> remember that a great deal of value at both of these events is the
> significant amount of knowledge exchange that occurs among the attendees.
>
> I am getting ready to host the third national summit in Toronto since
> I have moved onto a new position. This event will be held in June.
> Topics will include how to create a sense of community (be that
> defined by geography or interest) in connected environments, how open
> data and analytics can support healthy communities, sustainable
> transportation systems, clean water, energy savings etc., social and
> digital inclusion, an update on the regional initiatives that have
> been developing (there have been strong developments particularly on
> the east coast and also through James' leadership in the west), and a
> glimpse into global best practices relating to intelligent community
> development.
>
> Last year, I suggested that i-CANADA might be a valuable ally for TC
> to work with when CAP was being wound up. However, this type of
> discussion came up at that time, and to be honest, I found it a bit
> disheartening that people were judging i-CANADA not based on fact, but
> based on perception. I'm not sure if that's due to past experiences
> with CATA (which as an active part of i-CANADA I see as a sponsor of
> the activity - not the controlling body) or simply due to a lack of
> exposure to the i-CANADA programs. They have been doing a terrific
> job on the first key topic that they were focused on - the push to
> keep the discussion moving on broadband. They have recently met with
> the head of the CRTC to discuss potential ways to move the bar
> nationally and try to make the moonshot that was defined by the
> attendees at events such as the national summits and Canada 3.0 real.
> (Important note: i-CANADA's leadership is acutely aware of the fact
> that broadband is only a tool - it is not the solution to the
> challenges we face as a nation.)
>
> I really don't understand the perception that i-CANADA has been
> created to benefit the private sector in the least. Their focus has
> been in the creation of a solid base of community leaders to help keep
> the discussion moving forward. The i-CANADA Council of Governors
> includes 17 Mayors from across the Country, 2 Premiers, 3 University
> Presidents and academic leaders, 8 representatives from various ICT
> industry clusters, 4 other private sector CEOs (e.g. Peter Aceto - who
> has effectively embraced a social business strategy in his leadership
> of ING Direct), Presidents of 4 of the regional research and eduction
> networks, the director of a federal agency, and 2 private consultants
> (one of which is Bill St. Arnaud). This group will continue to expand
> so that a more representative tapestry of views can be woven into the
> messages and initiatives. These folks are collaborating on a number of
> responses to key issues and are preparing to announce some engagement
> type of initiatives that will further raise awareness of some of the
> issues that Canada is struggling to overcome from a Digital Economy
> perspective.
>
> In addition to the Council of Governors, there is a Board of Advisors
> that is a larger group or more front line folks, such as myself -
> essentially Intelligent Community practitioners that are bringing
> opportunities and lessons learned to the table.
>
> The LinkedIn group is not in the least a fair representation of the
> scope of i-CANADA's activities. Based on the comments coming from
> this group, I am concerned that the message is getting misconstrued as
> a result of the nature of the activity that tends to occur in that
> space. We may need to consider a more active moderation role to ensure
> this outlet does not convey a different set of values from what the
> i-CANADA mandate actually is. i-CANADA's key areas of focus are on
> fostering best practices among Canadian communities, knowledge
> transfer among those communities, and advocating on the gaps that
> exist to ensure that our nation remains competitive in the global
> broadband economy. Admittedly i-CANADA needs to have some sponsors to
> underwrite the events and programs as there are costs associated with
> these activities.
>
> If i-CANADA is not necessarily taking on an area of interest that this
> group has, it simply may be as a result of this group not being active
> contributors to the dialogue that is occurring. They have a genuinely
> open door and are more than happy to work with other groups that are
> doing great things to benefit Canadian communities (with a broad
> definition of the term "community"). I would suggest that a great
> course of action would be for this group to reach out to i-CANADA and
> explore how they may be able to assist TC in achieving its objectives
> - and vice versa. *Maybe a great first step would be to have a few
> folks attend the conference in June to gain an understanding and
> appreciation from first hand exposure to the community champions and
> various subject matter experts that will be in attendance? *
> *
> *
> I have always seen the two groups as very complimentary to one another
> and had hoped last year that TC would have been open to working with
> i-CANADA with a particular interest in amplifying the digital
> inclusion concerns.
>
> If anyone is interested in attending the conference, preliminary
> information can be found at: http://icanada.nu/events/ . I would also
> welcome any direct questions if you have a specific area of interest.
>
> Have a great weekend everyone!
> Kristina
>
> On 2013-02-22, at 10:20 PM, imaginit <imaginit@eastlink.ca
> <mailto:imaginit@eastlink.ca>> wrote:
>
>> James:
>>
>> I am optimistic that with yourself and Marita involved there will
>> be two forces within iCanada to help steer them towards more real
>> community involvement.
>>
>> I only hope that the emphasis is place upon involve the community
>> itself, rather then trying to fix the issues with government
>> representation of those communities. I cannot get excited with the
>> announcement of a Mayor or government CTO joining iCanada. Necessary?
>> Yes. Sufficient? Hardly.
>>
>> I question how anyone can bring the governments up to speed with
>> the needs of the community without understanding those needs. And I
>> don't believe any of us really understand all the communities in the
>> municipality we live in, never mind across Canada.
>>
>> A difficult task? Certainly. Indeed, some would propose it is
>> impossible - a rationalization often used to justify autocratic
>> governance.
>>
>> Good Luck.
>> Gary
>>
>> -----------------------------------------------
>> More people are killed every year by pigs than by sharks, which shows
>> you how good we are at evaluating risk.
>> - Bruce Schneier, Beyond Fear
>>
>> *THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PRIVATE AND
>> CONFIDENTIAL**.*
>>
>> On 2013.02.22, at 7:22 PM, James Van Leeuwen <jvl@ventus.ca
>> <mailto:jvl@ventus.ca>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> On 2013-02-22, at 3:04 PM, Gary W Kenward <garykenward@eastlink.ca
>>> <mailto:garykenward@eastlink.ca>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> James:
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for your perspective. I find it interesting that you
>>>> say iCANADA wants to get the two sectors working together. CATA
>>>> started the iCanada initiative, and as far as I have been able to
>>>> determine, have not tried to reach out to any community.
>>>
>>> As just one member of i-CANADA's Advisory Council, I have personally
>>> reached out to at least twenty communities large and small here in
>>> western Canada over the last two years.
>>>
>>> Elected officials from some of these communities now serve on the
>>> Governance Council of i-CANADA, and CIOs and IT Managers from some
>>> of these communities have joined the Advisory Council.
>>>
>>> I have done the same with western Canada's major Research &
>>> Education networks, which are now also represented on i-CANADA's
>>> Governance Board.
>>>
>>> The Premier of New Brunswick is Chairman of the Governance Council,
>>> and Mayor Brad Woodside of Fredericton also serves on the Governance
>>> Council.
>>>
>>> /*"We don't charge you to walk on our sidewalks. Why would we charge
>>> you for broadband?”*/
>>> [Mayor Woodside commenting on Fredericton’s /Frede-zone /public
>>> access WiFi network, www.fred-ezone.ca <http://www.fred-ezone.ca/>]
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> I disagree that there is no interest, and I disagree that there
>>>> are not community groups wiling to interact. I think the major
>>>> issue is more likely that the groups are local, small and numerous.
>>>> A quintessentially Canadian behaviour is to engage governments
>>>> under the assumption that they represent communities. Having worked
>>>> with some of these communities locally, there seems to be a general
>>>> experience that the governments are not very good at engaging
>>>> community groups even with their government programs, never mind
>>>> iCanada.
>>>> As an example: I first heard of i-Canada when it created a LinkedIn
>>>> group. I read the first postings, and then the web site. Interest
>>>> was proclaimed and questions asked by a number of people
>>>> (presumably mostly Canadian members of the LinkedIn community).
>>>> iCanada did not respond to any inquiry at that time. And, a cursory
>>>> perusal of the the iCanada group today shows that there continues
>>>> to be no attempt at fostering discussion. The group simply serves
>>>> as a platform for disseminating iCanada announcements. So how is
>>>> this engaging the community?
>>>>
>>>> My professional background includes working in the
>>>> telecommunications and data networking sectors. There's good reason
>>>> to question CATAs motivations regarding iCANADA - they are an
>>>> industry organization driven by profit opportunities for their
>>>> members in select markets. The current flurry of announcements
>>>> regarding mHealth is a perfect example. I do not have an issue with
>>>> their motivations except when they attempt to disguise those
>>>> motivations behind a facade of community service.
>>>>
>>>> Communities, governments and businesses working together is the
>>>> ideal scenario for pretty well any issue Canada faces moving
>>>> forward. Governments and businesses working together without
>>>> communities is not an ideal scenario.
>>>>
>>>> I will begin to believe they are truly interested in communities
>>>> when representatives are included in iCanada discussions and events
>>>> (take a look at the January, 2013 announcement on
>>>> http://icanada.nu/ - not one representative of the community
>>>> appears in the list of people gathered to "create a plan to develop
>>>> an equitable high-bandwidth regional community, bringing
>>>> ultra-high-speed service to homes and businesses throughout the
>>>> twin provinces." In an area where there are many communities and
>>>> community groups.
>>>>
>>>> I wish you all the best in your endeavours to influence iCanada.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Gary
>>>>
>>>
>>> I did not say there was no interest, Gary, I said there was a lack
>>> of committed leadership.
>>>
>>> My local Economic Development Committee might be interested to hear
>>> what I have to say, but this does not imply that anyone is going to
>>> take any initiative in this community.
>>>
>>>
>>> That said, you make a valid point.
>>>
>>> If we could get */all/* the committed community leadership we have
>>> in Canada supporting a single nationwide initiative, we would have a
>>> much better balance between community and enterprise agendas.
>>>
>>> This is i-CANADA's objective, and it's why I volunteer for them.
>>>
>>> I hope you will all consider doing the same.
>>>
>>>
>>> As for our expectations of senior governments...
>>>
>>> Whether these expectations are warranted or not, they are failing us
>>> badly.
>>>
>>> The System - OUR System - is broken, and outliving its usefulness.
>>>
>>> Despite this, an attitude of Ain't-Broke-Don't-Fix-It still prevails.
>>>
>>> We may be reluctant to accept reality, because it means the burden
>>> of leadership now falls to us as individuals and communities.
>>>
>>> I personally believe this is the essence of the challenge Canada
>>> faces at this point in its history.
>>>
>>> If we fail to respond, we fail ourselves and we especially fail our
>>> children.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> /*"The major advances in human civilization all but wreck the
>>> societies in which they appear." */[Alfred North Whitehead]
>>>
>>> More than anything, this is a commentary on the history of
>>> institutional change.
>>>
>>> Historically, government institutions have always been the slowest
>>> to change in the wake of a technological revolution.
>>>
>>>
>>> The truth of the matter is that our senior governments need
>>> *_external_* guidance to help them adapt to the new realities we are
>>> now facing.
>>>
>>> They reflexively look inward, which is the worst possible thing to do.
>>>
>>> There is always plenty of rhetoric and window dressing around
>>> 'engaging the citizen' and 'listening', but even if they hear what
>>> we were saying, they are still unable to respond.
>>>
>>> The internal tensions in our senior governments today are
>>> unprecedented, and paralyzing.
>>>
>>> They cannot respond effectively without a wholesale change of
>>> leadership, and this will not happen until WE make it happen.
>>>
>>>
>>> I should mention that this will be the first technological
>>> revolution to seriously disrupt our academic institutions as well as
>>> our government and economic institutions.
>>>
>>> If we end up giving this disruption a name, it might be something
>>> like */The Great Decentralization/*.
>>>
>>>
>>> JvL
>>>
>>> P.S.: In case anyone is wondering, I am not a political revolutionary.
>>>
>>> I am a community sustainability consultant interested to help
>>> communities (and governments) to capitalize on the changes we are
>>> now experiencing.
>>>
>>> There is a tremendous amount of good that will come of all this.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> */
>>>> /*
>>>> */THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PRIVATE AND
>>>> CONFIDENTIAL./*
>>>>
>>>> On 2013.02.22, at 4:40 PM, James Van Leeuwen <jvl@ventus.ca
>>>> <mailto:jvl@ventus.ca>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Gary,
>>>>>
>>>>> what will help Canada the most is to have our community/municipal
>>>>> sector and our enterprise sector working in tandem to pull Canada
>>>>> in the direction it needs to be going.
>>>>>
>>>>> A priority objective for iCANADA is to get these two sectors
>>>>> working together to mutual benefit and to broader societal benefit
>>>>> (they get it, Marita).
>>>>>
>>>>> The under-representation of the community/municipal sector in
>>>>> i-CANADA is not a matter of preference on i-CANADA's part.
>>>>>
>>>>> The condition reflects the availability and eagerness of
>>>>> leadership in the enterprise sector, and the widespread lack of
>>>>> committed leadership in Canada's community/municipal sector.
>>>>>
>>>>> Most of our community leaders still either do not recognize the
>>>>> need to lead, do not care to lead, or do not think they have
>>>>> permission to lead.
>>>>>
>>>>> Wanting permission is a quintessentially Canadian trait, but no
>>>>> community in Canada actually needs permission from anyone to meet
>>>>> its own broadband needs.
>>>>>
>>>>> This crippling condition does not exist in the U.S., which helps
>>>>> to explain how community broadband has become such a robust and
>>>>> rapidly growing trend down there.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> For i-CANADA, the critical need is not to weaken enterprise
>>>>> involvement, but to strengthen community involvement.
>>>>>
>>>>> Our lack of community leadership is our single greatest obstacle
>>>>> in advancing the digital agenda in Canada... not industry, and not
>>>>> government.
>>>>>
>>>>> To make the best progress, this is the challenge we should be
>>>>> channelling our available attention, time and energy into.
>>>>>
>>>>> As an example of what i-CANADA is doing, co-founder Barry Gander
>>>>> will be travelling out to Calgary next month to engage an audience
>>>>> of municipal and corporate CIOs.
>>>>>
>>>>> I will helping to coordinate and deliver the event, because this
>>>>> is my 'turf'.
>>>>>
>>>>> i-CANADA needs all the help we can get right across Canada,
>>>>> especially volunteer support at the community level.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Why waste time engaging federal government when they are so far
>>>>> out of their depth and their priorities lie elsewhere.
>>>>>
>>>>> Our telecom and broadcast industries also have different
>>>>> priorities, which often conflict directly with the needs of
>>>>> communities.
>>>>>
>>>>> Both industries want to /own/ our business rather than /earn/ it,
>>>>> because it's the only way they know how to do business. It is
>>>>> their business DNA.
>>>>>
>>>>> I have said this before...
>>>>>
>>>>> If industry or government were actually capable of responding
>>>>> meaningfully and effectively to the grand opportunities we are
>>>>> facing in the 21st century, we would have had a digital strategy
>>>>> */years/* ago.
>>>>>
>>>>> The notion of Gbps residential Internet connectivity for $70/month
>>>>> simply does not reconcile with their mental models of reality.
>>>>>
>>>>> They cannot provide the leadership we need.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Virtually all of my consulting and volunteer activity today is
>>>>> directly focused on addressing this community leadership challenge.
>>>>>
>>>>> On the consulting front, I am about to commence work on a study
>>>>> that will produce a comprehensive assessment of economic benefits
>>>>> associated with community broadband deployment in rural and remote
>>>>> communities.
>>>>>
>>>>> The purpose of the study is to rationalize the costs of deployment
>>>>> for key potential stakeholders, including communities-at-large,
>>>>> local governments, senior governments, academia and industries.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On the volunteer front, our local government here in Pincher Creek
>>>>> has an Economic Development Committee to advise elected officials
>>>>> on where they should be taking initiative.
>>>>>
>>>>> I have just been accepted on to the Committee, and I will be
>>>>> presenting to the Committee next week on the merits of community
>>>>> broadband.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I have been advocating for community broadband throughout
>>>>> southwest Alberta for the last eight years, ever since the Alberta
>>>>> SuperNet went into operation.
>>>>>
>>>>> This will be the first time in eight years that I have been
>>>>> *invited* to give a presentation on the relevance of broadband to
>>>>> community economic development and community sustainability.
>>>>>
>>>>> My sense is that a few of our younger community and business
>>>>> leaders are finally beginning to accept that neither industry nor
>>>>> government has the motive or the mandate to meet the longer-term
>>>>> broadband needs of our community.
>>>>>
>>>>> It might just be wishful thinking on my part, but my point is to
>>>>> illustrate just how acute this lack of leadership is.
>>>>>
>>>>> Considering that we have had the SuperNet for eight years, you
>>>>> would think that by now all of rural Alberta would be a showcase
>>>>> for leadership in community broadband and digital economic
>>>>> development.
>>>>>
>>>>> We have only one serious initiative (Olds Fibre), and a tiny
>>>>> handful of less ambitious initiatives.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is the reality of Alberta... the place our current Prime
>>>>> Minister hails from.
>>>>>
>>>>> JvL
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 2013-02-22, at 11:56 AM, Gary W Kenward
>>>>> <garykenward@eastlink.ca <mailto:garykenward@eastlink.ca>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> There's a lot of ironic humour in your comment.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thank you.
>>>>>> Gary
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PRIVATE AND
>>>>>> CONFIDENTIAL.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 2013.02.22, at 1:58 PM, Marita Moll <mmoll@ca.inter.net
>>>>>> <mailto:mmoll@ca.inter.net>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ken, I don't have the answer to this question. James has been
>>>>>>> working really hard on getting i-Canada to understand the
>>>>>>> concept of community.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'll pass this to him.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Marita
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 2/21/2013 11:42 PM, imaginit wrote:
>>>>>>>> Marita:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Please clarify for me: the strategy outlined in Michael's
>>>>>>>> posting lines up with iCanada's "Innovation Nation" objectives,
>>>>>>>> which focusses on investment incentives for internet
>>>>>>>> businesses? An agenda that the current government (that is,
>>>>>>>> Prime Minister Stephen Harper) can easily align himself with?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I am all for promoting investment in high tech in Canada
>>>>>>>> (although not a fan of some of the stimuli, such as SR&ED tax
>>>>>>>> credits, another component of iCanada's 'platform"). However,
>>>>>>>> based upon the information provided on iCanada's web site and
>>>>>>>> it's prolific LinkedIn postings, I find the proposition that
>>>>>>>> iCanada is working for the community to be misrepresentative.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Do you know of activities by iCanada that are aimed at
>>>>>>>> directly engaging Canadian communities, particularly rural,
>>>>>>>> aboriginal, elderly and other communities in need?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>>> Gary
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> -----------------------------------------------
>>>>>>>> "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
>>>>>>>> the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to
>>>>>>>> himself.
>>>>>>>> Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
>>>>>>>> - George Bernard Shaw
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PRIVATE AND
>>>>>>>> CONFIDENTIAL.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 2013.02.21, at 6:43 PM, Marita Moll<mmoll@ca.inter.net
>>>>>>>> <mailto:mmoll@ca.inter.net>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> The elements of the govt's digital strategy listed in the
>>>>>>>>> letter -- see link below -- are laughable. Maybe we should
>>>>>>>>> send the minister a letter with some suggestions of what a
>>>>>>>>> real digital strategy might consist of. Actually there are
>>>>>>>>> several articles in the collection "The Internet Tree" which
>>>>>>>>> would suffice very well. One is by our very own Garth Graham,
>>>>>>>>> another by Michael Geist.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Marita
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On 2/19/2013 7:05 AM, michael gurstein wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I don't know which is worse... Not having a digital strategy
>>>>>>>>>> for Canada or
>>>>>>>>>> having the kind of digital strategy that we are likely to get
>>>>>>>>>> from a Harper
>>>>>>>>>> Government :(.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The government's response to digital strategy critics
>>>>>>>>>> <http://wordsbynowak.com/2013/02/15/digital-strateg/>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>> Advisors mailing list
>>>>>>>>>> Advisors@tc.ca <mailto:Advisors@tc.ca>
>>>>>>>>>> http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/advisors
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>> Advisors mailing list
>>>>>>>>> Advisors@tc.ca <mailto:Advisors@tc.ca>
>>>>>>>>> http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/advisors
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Advisors mailing list
>>>>>>> Advisors@tc.ca <mailto:Advisors@tc.ca>
>>>>>>> http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/advisors
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
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Hi Kristina. Thanks for your points below. We want to stay positive
and we want to keep discussions going. <br>
<br>
Many of the people on this list would love to showcase what they are
doing and share their ideas on how a digital strategy should evolve in
Canada. In fact, TC and its community partners have been active
participants in any digital economy consultations that have been
accessible to them. But it costs $600 to go to your meeting not
including transportation and accommodation costs. That kind of
disposable money simply does not exist at the community level for
people who are actively working on connecting communities. They are
many, small and under resourced -- both with time and money. <br>
<br>
I am guessing that not many of the participants at I-Canada events are
funding their participation out of their own pockets. And, as far as I
know, the funding pockets that support these sorts of things (research
grants, industry outreach/pr budgets) are not usually accessible to
community workers -- catch-22.<br>
<br>
Some of this is documented in papers (all online) in the book about
Canadian community networks that came out of the SSHRC funded Canadian
Research Alliance for Community Innovation (CRACIN)
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120193">http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120193</a>. <br>
<br>
Marita Moll<br>
<br>
<br>
On 2/23/2013 2:38 PM, Kristina Verner wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:20178E19-B074-4867-9B89-6B00BFA2D987@uwindsor.ca"
type="cite">
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Hello Everyone,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I have been quietly following along with the discussion, and,
while James has articulated much of what I was going to say, I did want
to share some additional information regarding i-CANADA, as there
appears to be a continued misunderstanding of what i-CANADA is doing,
who is involved, and how it may be able to help move the discussions
forward for many intelligent community related matters in the Canadian
context, including broadband services, digital inclusion, and also in
terms of helping to craft a digital strategy moving forward.</div>
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>As many of you may know, I am also actively involved with
i-CANADA and have been since fairly close to its inception when I was
in community-University research initiative down at the University of
Windsor. The co-founders of i-CANADA reached out to me when
Windsor-Essex was named in the Top 7 Intelligent Communities globally
to see if there were transferrable lessons that they could share with
other communities to help them overcome some of their digital economy
challenges.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>After the ICF awards cycle completed, I also worked with
i-CANADA and served as host for the first national summit in Windsor,
where we had representation from approximately 80 communities from
across the country, and approximately 150 folks in attendance. The
majority of the attendees were either municipal leaders or economic
development staff. However, we had representation from the health,
education (both K-12 and post secondary, arts, digital media, planning
and design and, the ICT sector (both private sector and
accelerator-type of groups in the form of not-for-profit regional
RICs). The private sector representation was focused on some of the
"art of the possible" discussions to help illustrate to the attendees
that broadband was simply a means to an end, but not the end itself.
Various projects were highlighted from various sizes of communities -
ranging from Golden BC to Waterfront Toronto (some of these
presentations showcased projects that were municipally lead, with
others driven significantly by the grassroots and cross-sectoral in
nature). There were discussions across various sectors include arts and
culture, health, sustainability, etc. While there were sponsors (as is
the case at any conference), there was no exhibition space, and no real
vehicle provided for private sector agendas to be pushed along. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The second national summit was held in Montreal in October.
While there were more private sector attendees, they were sharing
lessons learned on topics such as social business and business process
transformation - they weren't priming the pump or peddling their wares
in the least. Attendees were able to hear about the latest
developments in the research and education networks (including how
ORION is now working more closely with the municipal sector), and first
responders. Crowd-funding as a creative solution to overcoming the
financial barriers to innovation was also discussed. It is key to
remember that a great deal of value at both of these events is the
significant amount of knowledge exchange that occurs among the
attendees. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I am getting ready to host the third national summit in Toronto
since I have moved onto a new position. This event will be held in
June. Topics will include how to create a sense of community (be that
defined by geography or interest) in connected environments, how open
data and analytics can support healthy communities, sustainable
transportation systems, clean water, energy savings etc., social and
digital inclusion, an update on the regional initiatives that have been
developing (there have been strong developments particularly on the
east coast and also through James' leadership in the west), and a
glimpse into global best practices relating to intelligent community
development.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Last year, I suggested that i-CANADA might be a valuable ally
for TC to work with when CAP was being wound up. However, this type of
discussion came up at that time, and to be honest, I found it a bit
disheartening that people were judging i-CANADA not based on fact, but
based on perception. I'm not sure if that's due to past experiences
with CATA (which as an active part of i-CANADA I see as a sponsor of
the activity - not the controlling body) or simply due to a lack of
exposure to the i-CANADA programs. They have been doing a terrific job
on the first key topic that they were focused on - the push to keep the
discussion moving on broadband. They have recently met with the head of
the CRTC to discuss potential ways to move the bar nationally and try
to make the moonshot that was defined by the attendees at events such
as the national summits and Canada 3.0 real. (Important note:
i-CANADA's leadership is acutely aware of the fact that broadband is
only a tool - it is not the solution to the challenges we face as a
nation.)</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I really don't understand the perception that i-CANADA has been
created to benefit the private sector in the least. Their focus has
been in the creation of a solid base of community leaders to help keep
the discussion moving forward. The i-CANADA Council of Governors
includes 17 Mayors from across the Country, 2 Premiers, 3 University
Presidents and academic leaders, 8 representatives from various ICT
industry clusters, 4 other private sector CEOs (e.g. Peter Aceto - who
has effectively embraced a social business strategy in his leadership
of ING Direct), Presidents of 4 of the regional research and eduction
networks, the director of a federal agency, and 2 private consultants
(one of which is Bill St. Arnaud). This group will continue to expand
so that a more representative tapestry of views can be woven into the
messages and initiatives. These folks are collaborating on a number of
responses to key issues and are preparing to announce some engagement
type of initiatives that will further raise awareness of some of the
issues that Canada is struggling to overcome from a Digital Economy
perspective.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>In addition to the Council of Governors, there is a Board of
Advisors that is a larger group or more front line folks, such as
myself - essentially Intelligent Community practitioners that are
bringing opportunities and lessons learned to the table.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The LinkedIn group is not in the least a fair representation of
the scope of i-CANADA's activities. Based on the comments coming from
this group, I am concerned that the message is getting misconstrued as
a result of the nature of the activity that tends to occur in that
space. We may need to consider a more active moderation role to ensure
this outlet does not convey a different set of values from what the
i-CANADA mandate actually is. i-CANADA's key areas of focus are on
fostering best practices among Canadian communities, knowledge transfer
among those communities, and advocating on the gaps that exist to
ensure that our nation remains competitive in the global broadband
economy. Admittedly i-CANADA needs to have some sponsors to underwrite
the events and programs as there are costs associated with these
activities. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If i-CANADA is not necessarily taking on an area of interest
that this group has, it simply may be as a result of this group not
being active contributors to the dialogue that is occurring. They have
a genuinely open door and are more than happy to work with other groups
that are doing great things to benefit Canadian communities (with a
broad definition of the term "community"). I would suggest that a
great course of action would be for this group to reach out to i-CANADA
and explore how they may be able to assist TC in achieving its
objectives - and vice versa. <b>Maybe a great first step would be to
have a few folks attend the conference in June to gain an understanding
and appreciation from first hand exposure to the community champions
and various subject matter experts that will be in attendance? </b></div>
<div><b><br>
</b></div>
<div>I have always seen the two groups as very complimentary to one
another and had hoped last year that TC would have been open to working
with i-CANADA with a particular interest in amplifying the digital
inclusion concerns.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If anyone is interested in attending the conference, preliminary
information can be found at: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://icanada.nu/events/">http://icanada.nu/events/</a> . I
would also welcome any direct questions if you have a specific area of
interest.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Have a great weekend everyone!</div>
<div>Kristina</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>On 2013-02-22, at 10:20 PM, imaginit <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:imaginit@eastlink.ca">imaginit@eastlink.ca</a>>
wrote:</div>
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<div style="word-wrap: break-word;">James:
<div><br>
</div>
<div> I am optimistic that with yourself and Marita involved
there will be two forces within iCanada to help steer them towards more
real community involvement.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div> I only hope that the emphasis is place upon involve the
community itself, rather then trying to fix the issues with government
representation of those communities. I cannot get excited with the
announcement of a Mayor or government CTO joining iCanada. Necessary?
Yes. Sufficient? Hardly. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div> I question how anyone can bring the governments up to speed
with the needs of the community without understanding those needs. And
I don't believe any of us really understand all the communities in the
municipality we live in, never mind across Canada.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div> A difficult task? Certainly. Indeed, some would propose it
is impossible - a rationalization often used to justify autocratic
governance.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Good Luck.</div>
<div>Gary</div>
<div>
<div>
<div
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<div
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<div
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<div
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<div
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<div
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<div
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<div
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<div
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style="font-size: 10px;" color="#511989"><font
style="font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;"
face="Lucida Grande"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
</font><span
style="font-weight: normal; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;">-----------------------------------------------</span><br
class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<font face="Comic Sans MS">More people are killed every year by
pigs than by sharks, which shows you how good we are at evaluating risk.</font></font></div>
<div
style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2;"><font
style="font-size: 10px;" face="Comic Sans MS" color="#511989"> -
Bruce Schneier, Beyond Fear</font></div>
<div
style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2;"><span
style="font-size: 10px;"><br>
</span></div>
<div style="orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2;"><font
face="Trebuchet MS" color="#9c1800"><span style="font-size: 10px;"><b>THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL</b></span></font><font
style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"
face="Trebuchet MS" color="#9c1800"><span style="font-size: 10px;"><b>.</b></span></font></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div>
<div>On 2013.02.22, at 7:22 PM, James Van Leeuwen <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:jvl@ventus.ca">jvl@ventus.ca</a>>
wrote:</div>
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<div>
<div>On 2013-02-22, at 3:04 PM, Gary W Kenward <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:garykenward@eastlink.ca">garykenward@eastlink.ca</a>>
wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">
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<div style="word-wrap: break-word;"><font color="#0061ff">James:</font>
<div><font color="#0061ff"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"> Thank you for your perspective. I
find it interesting that you say iCANADA wants to get the two sectors
working together. CATA started the iCanada initiative, and as far as I
have been able to determine, have not tried to reach out to any
community. </font></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>As just one member of i-CANADA's Advisory Council, I have
personally reached out to at least twenty communities large and small
here in western Canada over the last two years.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Elected officials from some of these communities now serve
on the Governance Council of i-CANADA, and CIOs and IT Managers from
some of these communities have joined the Advisory Council. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I have done the same with western Canada's major Research
& Education networks, which are now also represented on i-CANADA's
Governance Board. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The Premier of New Brunswick is Chairman of the Governance
Council, and Mayor Brad Woodside of Fredericton also serves on the
Governance Council. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><i style="font-size: 13px;"><b>"We
don't charge you to walk on our sidewalks. Why would we charge you for
broadband?”</b></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">[Mayor
Woodside commenting on Fredericton’s <i>Frede-zone </i>public </span><span
style="font-size: 13px;">access WiFi network, </span><span
style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(4, 51, 255);"><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.fred-ezone.ca/">www.fred-ezone.ca</a>]</span></div>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;"><font color="#0061ff"> I
disagree that there is no interest, and I disagree that there are not
community groups wiling to interact. I think the major issue is more
likely that the groups are local, small and numerous. A
quintessentially Canadian behaviour is to engage governments under the
assumption that they represent communities. Having worked with some of
these communities locally, there seems to be a general experience that
the governments are not very good at engaging community groups even
with their government programs, never mind iCanada.</font></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;"><font color="#424242"> </font></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;">
<div><font color="#0061ff">As an example: I first heard of
i-Canada when it created a LinkedIn group. I read the first postings,
and then the web site. Interest was proclaimed and questions asked by a
number of people (presumably mostly Canadian members of the LinkedIn
community). iCanada did not respond to any inquiry at that time. And, a
cursory perusal of the the iCanada group today shows that there
continues to be no attempt at fostering discussion. The group simply
serves as a platform for disseminating iCanada announcements. So how is
this engaging the community?</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"> My professional background
includes working in the telecommunications and data networking sectors.
There's good reason to question CATAs motivations regarding iCANADA -
they are an industry organization driven by profit opportunities for
their members in select markets. The current flurry of announcements
regarding mHealth is a perfect example. I do not have an issue with
their motivations except when they attempt to disguise those
motivations behind a facade of community service.</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"> Communities, governments and
businesses working together is the ideal scenario for pretty well any
issue Canada faces moving forward. Governments and businesses working
together without communities is not an ideal scenario.</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"> I will begin to believe they are
truly interested in communities when representatives are included in
iCanada discussions and events (take a look at the January, 2013
announcement on <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://icanada.nu/">http://icanada.nu/</a> -
not one representative of the community appears in the list of people
gathered to "<span
style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">create
a plan to develop an equitable high-bandwidth regional community,
bringing ultra-high-speed service to homes and businesses throughout
the twin provinces." In an area where there are many communities and
community groups.</span></font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"> I wish you all the best in your
endeavours to influence iCanada.</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff">Regards,</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff">Gary</font></div>
<div><font color="#0061ff"><br>
</font></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I did not say there was no interest, Gary, I said there was
a lack of committed leadership.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>My local Economic Development Committee might be interested
to hear what I have to say, but this does not imply that anyone is
going to take any initiative in this community. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>That said, you make a valid point. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If we could get <b><i>all</i></b> the committed community
leadership we have in Canada supporting a single nationwide initiative,
we would have a much better balance between community and enterprise
agendas.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This is i-CANADA's objective, and it's why I volunteer for
them.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I hope you will all consider doing the same.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>As for our expectations of senior governments...</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Whether these expectations are warranted or not, they are
failing us badly.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The System - OUR System - is broken, and outliving its
usefulness. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Despite this, an attitude of Ain't-Broke-Don't-Fix-It still
prevails.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We may be reluctant to accept reality, because it means the
burden of leadership now falls to us as individuals and communities.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I personally believe this is the essence of the challenge
Canada faces at this point in its history.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If we fail to respond, we fail ourselves and we especially
fail our children.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><i><b>"The major advances in human civilization all but
wreck the societies in which they appear." </b></i>[Alfred North
Whitehead]</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>More than anything, this is a commentary on the history of
institutional change.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Historically, government institutions have always been the
slowest to change in the wake of a technological revolution. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The truth of the matter is that our senior governments need <b><u>external</u></b>
guidance to help them adapt to the new realities we are now facing. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>They reflexively look inward, which is the worst possible
thing to do.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>There is always plenty of rhetoric and window dressing
around 'engaging the citizen' and 'listening', but even if they hear
what we were saying, they are still unable to respond.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The internal tensions in our senior governments today are
unprecedented, and paralyzing. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>They cannot respond effectively without a wholesale change
of leadership, and this will not happen until WE make it happen. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I should mention that this will be the first technological
revolution to seriously disrupt our academic institutions as well as
our government and economic institutions. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If we end up giving this disruption a name, it might be
something like <b><i>The Great Decentralization</i></b>.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>JvL</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>P.S.: In case anyone is wondering, I am not a political
revolutionary. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I am a community sustainability consultant interested to
help communities (and governments) to capitalize on the changes we are
now experiencing. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>There is a tremendous amount of good that will come of all
this. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;">
<div><font color="#424242"> </font></div>
<div>
<div apple-content-edited="true">
<div
style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span
style="font-size: 10px;"><font face="Trebuchet MS"><b><i><br>
</i></b></font></span></div>
<div
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style="color: rgb(156, 24, 0); text-align: left; font-size: 12px;"><font
face="Trebuchet MS"><b><i>THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT
IS PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.</i></b></font></span></span></div>
</div>
<br>
<div>
<div>On 2013.02.22, at 4:40 PM, James Van Leeuwen <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:jvl@ventus.ca">jvl@ventus.ca</a>>
wrote:</div>
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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type"
content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;">Gary,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>what will help Canada the most is to have our
community/municipal sector and our enterprise sector working in tandem
to pull Canada in the direction it needs to be going.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>A priority objective for iCANADA is to get these two
sectors working together to mutual benefit and to broader societal
benefit (they get it, Marita).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The under-representation of the community/municipal
sector in i-CANADA is not a matter of preference on i-CANADA's part. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The condition reflects the availability and eagerness of
leadership in the enterprise sector, and the widespread lack of
committed leadership in Canada's community/municipal sector. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Most of our community leaders still either do not
recognize the need to lead, do not care to lead, or do not think they
have permission to lead.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Wanting permission is a quintessentially Canadian trait,
but no community in Canada actually needs permission from anyone to
meet its own broadband needs. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This crippling condition does not exist in the U.S.,
which helps to explain how community broadband has become such a robust
and rapidly growing trend down there.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div>For i-CANADA, the critical need is not to weaken
enterprise involvement, but to strengthen community involvement.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Our lack of community leadership is our single greatest
obstacle in advancing the digital agenda in Canada... not industry, and
not government. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>To make the best progress, this is the challenge we
should be channelling our available attention, time and energy into.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>As an example of what i-CANADA is doing, co-founder
Barry Gander will be travelling out to Calgary next month to engage an
audience of municipal and corporate CIOs. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I will helping to coordinate and deliver the event,
because this is my 'turf'.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>i-CANADA needs all the help we can get right across
Canada, especially volunteer support at the community level.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Why waste time engaging federal government when they are
so far out of their depth and their priorities lie elsewhere.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Our telecom and broadcast industries also have different
priorities, which often conflict directly with the needs of communities.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Both industries want to <i>own</i> our business rather
than <i>earn</i> it, because it's the only way they know how to do
business. It is their business DNA.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I have said this before...</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If industry or government were actually capable of
responding meaningfully and effectively to the grand opportunities we
are facing in the 21st century, we would have had a digital strategy <b><i>years</i></b>
ago. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The notion of Gbps residential Internet connectivity for
$70/month simply does not reconcile with their mental models of
reality. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>They cannot provide the leadership we need. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Virtually all of my consulting and volunteer activity
today is directly focused on addressing this community leadership
challenge.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
<div>On the consulting front, I am about to commence work on
a study that will produce a comprehensive assessment of economic
benefits associated with community broadband deployment in rural and
remote communities.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The purpose of the study is to rationalize the costs of
deployment for key potential stakeholders, including
communities-at-large, local governments, senior governments, academia
and industries.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>On the volunteer front, our local government here in
Pincher Creek has an Economic Development Committee to advise elected
officials on where they should be taking initiative. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I have just been accepted on to the Committee, and I
will be presenting to the Committee next week on the merits of
community broadband. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I have been advocating for community broadband
throughout southwest Alberta for the last eight years, ever since the
Alberta SuperNet went into operation. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This will be the first time in eight years that I have
been <b>invited</b> to give a presentation on the relevance of
broadband to community economic development and community
sustainability. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>My sense is that a few of our younger community and
business leaders are finally beginning to accept that neither industry
nor government has the motive or the mandate to meet the longer-term
broadband needs of our community. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>It might just be wishful thinking on my part, but my
point is to illustrate just how acute this lack of leadership is.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Considering that we have had the SuperNet for eight
years, you would think that by now all of rural Alberta would be a
showcase for leadership in community broadband and digital economic
development. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We have only one serious initiative (Olds Fibre), and a
tiny handful of less ambitious initiatives. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This is the reality of Alberta... the place our current
Prime Minister hails from. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>JvL</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On 2013-02-22, at 11:56 AM, Gary W Kenward <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:garykenward@eastlink.ca">garykenward@eastlink.ca</a>>
wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">There's a lot of ironic humour in
your comment.<br>
<br>
Thank you.<br>
Gary<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.<br>
<br>
On 2013.02.22, at 1:58 PM, Marita Moll <<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:mmoll@ca.inter.net">mmoll@ca.inter.net</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Ken, I don't have the answer to
this question. James has been working really hard on getting i-Canada
to understand the concept of community.<br>
<br>
I'll pass this to him.<br>
<br>
Marita<br>
<br>
On 2/21/2013 11:42 PM, imaginit wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Marita:<br>
<br>
Please clarify for me: the strategy outlined in Michael's posting
lines up with iCanada's "Innovation Nation" objectives, which focusses
on investment incentives for internet businesses? An agenda that the
current government (that is, Prime Minister Stephen Harper) can easily
align himself with?<br>
<br>
I am all for promoting investment in high tech in Canada (although not
a fan of some of the stimuli, such as SR&ED tax credits, another
component of iCanada's 'platform"). However, based upon the information
provided on iCanada's web site and it's prolific LinkedIn postings, I
find the proposition that iCanada is working for the community to be
misrepresentative.<br>
<br>
Do you know of activities by iCanada that are aimed at directly
engaging Canadian communities, particularly rural, aboriginal, elderly
and other communities in need?<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Gary<br>
<br>
-----------------------------------------------<br>
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;<br>
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.<br>
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."<br>
- George Bernard Shaw<br>
<br>
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.<br>
<br>
On 2013.02.21, at 6:43 PM, Marita Moll<<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:mmoll@ca.inter.net">mmoll@ca.inter.net</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">The elements of the govt's
digital strategy listed in the letter -- see link below -- are
laughable. Maybe we should send the minister a letter with some
suggestions of what a real digital strategy might consist of. Actually
there are several articles in the collection "The Internet Tree" which
would suffice very well. One is by our very own Garth Graham, another
by Michael Geist.<br>
<br>
Marita<br>
<br>
On 2/19/2013 7:05 AM, michael gurstein wrote:<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">I don't know which is
worse... Not having a digital strategy for Canada or<br>
having the kind of digital strategy that we are likely to get from a
Harper<br>
Government :(.<br>
<br>
The government's response to digital strategy critics<br>
<<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://wordsbynowak.com/2013/02/15/digital-strateg/">http://wordsbynowak.com/2013/02/15/digital-strateg/</a>><br>
<br>
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<br>
</blockquote>
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</blockquote>
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</blockquote>
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