For those who missed it over the weekend it turns out Canada ranks last in freedom of information study that looked at the world’s western Parliamentary democracies. What makes it all the more astounding is that a decade ago Canada was considered a leader. Consider two from the Information Commissioner, Suzanne Legault quotes pulled fromRead… Read more »
Chris Moore has a good post up on his blog at the moment that asks “Will Canadian Cities ever be Strategic?” In it (and it is very much worth reading) he hits on a theme I’ve focused on in many of my talks to government but that I think is also relevant to citizens whoRead… Read more »
Some people have asked me, what were the 10 most viewed posts from last year? Well here as posts that were written last year in order of popularity (excluding static pages and the homepage): Case Study: How Open data saved Canada $3.2 Billion Learning from Libraries: The Literacy Challenge of Open Data Why Old MediaRead… Read more »
Regular readers of my blog will know that I’ve advocated that StatsCan’s data – and particularly its Census data – should be made open (e.g. free, unlicensed, and downloadable in multiple formats). Presently, despite the fact that Canadian tax dollars pay to collect (a sadly diminishing amount, and quality of,) data, it is not open.Read… Read more »
Eaves.ca readers – happy new year! Here’s a little but of an overview into how we are kicking off 2011/ Thank you First, if you are a regular reader…. thank you. Eaves.ca has just entered its 4th year and it all keeps getting more and more rewarding. I write to organize my thoughts and refineRead… Read more »
Over the past few weeks people have been in touch with me about what happened in their city during the open data hackathon. I wanted to share some of their stories so that people can see the potential around the event. Here are a few that really struck me: If you get a moment aRead… Read more »
In theory I’m on break – trying to recharge my batteries, summit mount inbox zero and finish off a couple of papers I owe various good people – but a few people have sent me links to this story (same content here at the CBC), about how Canadians are embrace the web like few othersRead… Read more »
It turns out that Santa, with the help of some terribly two clever elves over at Montreal Ouvert has created an Open Data inspired present for Montrealers. What, you must ask could it be? It’s PatinerMontreal.ca It’s a genius little website created by two Montreal developers – James McKinney and Dan Mireault – that scrapesRead… Read more »
Last week a disturbing headline crossed my computer screen: B.C. RCMP zaps old news releases from its website 2,500 releases deleted because they weren’t translated into French 1) The worse of all possible outcomes This is a terrible outcome for accountability and open government. When we erase history we diminish accountability and erode our capacityRead… Read more »
Over at Samara, my friend Alison Loat is asking people to answer the question “What was the best moment in Canadian democracy in 2010?” In what I think was a good decision, they’ve defined the terms pretty broadly, stating: The moment could be one that took place inside or outside of Parliament or other legislativeRead… Read more »