GREATER VICTORIA – The Smart South Island Symposium takes place this Saturday, November 25th at the Victoria Conference Centre. Nearly 300 people have registered to attend this free event, including a mix of elected officials, local business leaders, First Nations, non-profit organizations, academics and local residents.
This is the first event in a two-part Smart South Island Symposium series hosted by the South Island Prosperity Project (SIPP), designed to debate the opportunities and challenges that come with the ‘smart’ and sustainable development of communities across the South Island region.
This interactive event will provide guests with an opportunity to ask questions, share feedback and engage with speakers in real-time as they explore how data and technology can be used to develop ‘smart’ solutions that will create a positive social impact in local communities.
During the symposium the SIPP will be be announcing the details of their Open Innovation Challenge, where teams will be invited to submit ‘smart’ pilot project ideas for a chance to compete for one of three $15,000 prizes.
Additional event details have been included below:
- Who
- Event Facilitator: Happy City author, Charles Montgomery
- Event emcee: Bruce Williams
- Keynote speaker: Jose Quadrio Alves, Vice President, Global Future Cites at CGI.
- Panelists: Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Institute; Shannon Clarke, BC Healthy Communities Society; Veronika Bylicki, CityHive; Paul Shorthouse, The Delphi Group; and Carol Anne Hilton, Transformation International.
- When: November 25, 2017
- 9:30 am to 1:00 pm (doors open at 8:45 am for registration)
- Where: Victoria Conference Centre – Lecture Theatre
- 720 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC
- Why:
- Infrastructure Canada is hosting a national Smart Cities Challenge, inviting communities across the country to showcase their best ‘smart’ ideas. The Government of Canada will work in collaboration with cities and communities that are ready to innovate and take risks – providing in-kind and financial support for their smart cities transformation.
- SIPP is coordinating the regional bid for the Smart Cities challenge, in an effort to secure $10 million in funding for the South Island to put towards ‘smart’ projects that would improve livability for residents.
- Public engagement will play an integral role in shaping the SIPP’s regional ‘smart’ strategy. This Symposium will be used to collect feedback from the public and help us better define which issues are the top priority to solve as we develop our Smart 2040 Vision.
For more information about the Symposium and the Smart Cities initiative, please visit www.smartsouthisland.ca.
