IPC Transparency Showcase sheds light on open government projects

TORONTO, ON (May 11, 2023) – Ontario’s public institutions have risen to the challenge, sharing their best and brightest projects to shine a light on the benefits of government transparency and open data.

Today, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) unveiled the Transparency Showcase — an online 3D gallery featuring a range of projects from municipal and provincial institutions in Ontario. The featured exhibits show the benefits of government transparency and the positive impact open data can have in the day to day lives of Ontarians.

Featured projects include, for example:

• Ontario511, which helps travellers safely get where they want to go (Ontario Ministry of Transportation)
• Open Data in Policing, which provides data about police calls and crimes to improve public safety (Waterloo Regional Police Service)
• Raising the Village, an open data project to improve the lives of children and families (City of Toronto)
• The Guide to Eating Ontario Fish, an interactive tool showing people if the fish they’ve caught is safe to eat (Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks)

Visitors can browse the interactive showcase from their desktop or phone and learn more through descriptions, videos, and graphics.

“Government transparency is essential to democracy and the healthy functioning of our society, fostering civic engagement, trust, and helping to counter misinformation,” said Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. “Through our Transparency Showcase we’re putting a spotlight on some compelling examples of open government initiatives to remind everyone of the benefits of transparency and open data, and inspire government institutions to be more proactive in releasing information to the public.”

Projects in the showcase were submitted in response to an IPC-issued challenge to government institutions on International Right to Know Day, September 28, 2022. The Transparency Challenge is one of several IPC initiatives to promote Ontarians’ access rights and inspire greater transparency among public institutions. Modern and effective regulators need to use innovative tools such as this to support and encourage the types of positive behaviours they’d like to see.

Privacy and Transparency in a Modern Government is one of the IPC’s four strategic priorities. Its goal is to advance Ontarians’ privacy and access rights by working with public institutions to develop bedrock principles and comprehensive governance frameworks for the responsible and accountable deployment of digital technologies.

Learn more:

• The IPC’s Transparency Challenge
• Privacy and Transparency in a Modern Government
• The IPC’s strategic priorities
• Info Matters podcast (episode about misinformation coming soon)

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