Part 6 - Analysis of Toronto's Open Government Progress Report

 “They know the words, but they don’t know the music.” - Jimmy Hoffa, 1992 Hoffa, Twentieth Century Fox

This is Part 6 of a series that examines the newly released Toronto City Clerk Open Government progress report. Please keep in mind that the premise for this analysis is that while the City of Toronto does know the principles of Open Government, they do not truly understand its spirit.

For this section I tried to quick-fire a number of things that provide context to statements made in the progress report.

TORONTO MIND MIXER
The report boasts that "Get Involved Toronto" introduced an online engagement platform called toronto.mindmixer.com. There is just one problem: There is no online engagement platform called toronto.mindmixer.com.

This is unacceptable. I can understand that clerical errors happen here and there, but I have no idea how a link is not fact checked. Worst of all, when you actually go to the Get Involved toronto.ca where the "Mind Mixer" content should be located (which I found via a Google Search), you get this.

In other words, the City of Toronto has a site dedicated to "making engagement work" that is rife with error messages. The poetry here is just delicious.

This is yet one more classic example of what I mean when I say the City of Toronto knows the principles of Open Government, but does not understand the Spirit of Open Government.

PLANNERS IN PUBLIC SPACES
I heard about this initiative when it came out and I thought it was a great idea! The more public servants are out in the community explaining how things work, the better. I hope to see more of these kinds of examples coming from the City, particularly coming directly from the City Clerk's office.

PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING
Once again, this is excellent! Even better news was when I learned that the program would be extended and that funding would be increased.

SHARING ECONOMY" TORONTO
As part of this Uber vs Taxi debate, the City of Toronto adopted a collaborative approach in creating a new policy. As they say in the report:

"MaRS hosted a series of workshops and forums that brought together staff from all three levels of government to learn from pioneers and innovators who are actively involved in the sharing economy to discuss the key issues, challenges and opportunities for policy makers."

What essentially happened here is the city said "You know what, we need help with this Uber thing, so we're gonna ask experts who just happen to be sitting right in our backyard."

This is most definitely the spirit of Open Government and kudos to the City of Toronto.

CITIES, DATA, AND DIGITAL INNOVATION
The report mentions a research study to examine questions about using data to drive economic growth, improve the accountability of government to citizens, and offer more digitally enabled services.

While I am not a scholar, I am sure the study is quite impressive and has a number of relevant recommendations. Question remains, though: Will the City of Toronto implement those recommendations?

LOOKING AHEAD
To conclude its report, the City Clerk outlines items that the city will focus on. Most notable, particularly for this series, is the need for culture change. I can only hope the City of Toronto means what it is saying.