We have an opportunity in this province to become a have-province, to be a model for civic participation and economic growth. For a time our size has been seen as a weakness but as we all know our world is in the midst of a major transition as societies and institutions across the globe are being disrupted my new technologies (organizational and digital).

As an example, the city of Fredericton has positioned itself as a model city in Atlantic Canada: the Smart City; and perhaps soon the start-up capital of Atlantic Canada. It is the first and only city to be listed on the Government of Canada’s Open Data/Open Government site. Through strategic investment in infrastructure, companies and programs (read: Fred-e-zone, Radian6, Q1Labs, Planet Hatch) the city is an increasingly attractive place to live and work.

Access to information, robust data and communication infrastructure also allow for crowd-sourced, social enterprise solutions to improve services, that will continue to make this province excel, leading to new companies and new jobs.

In November 2014 NBSPRN, in partnership with MaRS Discovery District’s Solutions Lab, and the Office of the Chief Information Officer, will be hosting a two day event: GovMaker Days.

Day 1: The Why of Open Data – we will showcase research and case studies using data and ways to improve the system and support more research and development, and the importance of cross-sector, inter-disciplinary collaboration.

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Day 2: The How of Open Government – the MaRS Solutions Lab will facilitate a workshop designed to give strength to open government champions, identify opportunities and challenges, and develop ideas for action with a keynote from Internationally renowned open government expert Beth Noveck former US Deputy CTO founder of the White House Open Government Initiative, founder of GovLab, chair of the MacArthur Research Network on Opening Governance, and author of WikiGovernment.

With this event we will:

• build bridges with champions both inside and outside government
• enhance collaboration on open government and open data on the development of policy (so we do it right) and data management infrastructure (so we do it well)

We are still looking for presenters and sponsors. If you would be interested in learning more please contact nick.scott@rrps-nb-sprn.ca

See the event link here!