Ontario has set the ambitious goal of being the most open provincial government in Canada. Minister Liz Sandals, President of the Treasury Board, used her comments at the Open Government Global Summit currently underway in Paris, France to highlight three new transparency measures recently adopted in the province.
Ontario already has an “open data by default” policy and has decided to ratify the International Open Data Charter in a bid to expand the government’s commitment to transparency. By adopting the charter, the government will also support the creation of common data standards and outline specific deadlines by which progress toward implementation can be demonstrated.
Ontario is one of 15 subnational governments participating in the Open Government Partnership’s pilot program. The Open Government Partnership works in 70 countries to promote government transparency and empower citizens through concrete commitments. Through this partnership the province will also expand the number of datasets available to the public.
The province has also created an open data trading program for public sector workers throughout Ontario’s government.
In addition to new government processes, Ontario has also developed a public engagement framework that will allow residents to interact with government in new ways and learn more about how the budget and other aspects of government are managed.
“We will continue working with the people of Ontario in the coming months to implement these new ideas, helping us become the most open and transparent government in the country,” Sandals said.
