Open Data Summit 2015 [May 25]

From coast to coast, 150-­200 attendees from businesses, nonprofits, governments, media, and academia are expected to gather on May 25 in Ottawa for this year’s theme of building sustainable, dynamic, and innovative open data communities. Summit participants will be invited to reflect on the following four big questions, which we’ll be unpacking in upcoming blog articles.

The initial schedule has been released and early bird registration is open until March 13th.

Click here for more information and to register. Follow @opennorth and #CODS15 for updates.

Lecture at UofT: Disturbing developments in digital government

If you find yourself in Toronto on Friday, February 6th, be sure to register for and attend this event on digital information management in Canada.

Click here to learn more and register.

Disturbing Developments in Digital Government
Professor David Brown will speak about concerns in digital information management in Canada.

Digital technologies have dramatically increased government’s ability to collect, use, re-use, store and disseminate information. The federal government has made clear its intention to move towards digital information management, yet its efforts thus far have lacked coherence. Causes for concern are plenty: from the deterioration of the Access to Information and Privacy regime, to the shutdown of government depositories and libraries, to collection and surveillance activities in the name of national security, to the hyper-centralization of government communications, and the foundering of the Open Data initiative. Prof. Brown’s lecture will examine the state of digital information management in Canada, and what we can expect going forward.This event will be moderated by Professor Ian Clark.

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David C.G. Brown is an Assistant Professor in the School of Political Studies in the University of Ottawa. After studying at the University of Toronto (BA, MA in political science), he spent a career in the federal public service, working in the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, the Department of External Affairs, Privy Council Office, the British Cabinet Office, Treasury Board Secretariat and the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. Among his Treasury Board Secretariat responsibilities he was for four years Executive Director, Information, Communications and Security Policy. After working in the Public Policy Forum, an Ottawa-based think tank, he completed a PhD in political science at Carleton University in 2011. From 2012-14 he was a SSHRC Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa. For several years he chaired the international committee of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and later was a member of the executive committee of its international counterpart, the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), including three years as IIAS President.

Call for chapters: Government Information in Canada

Changing technology and the policies that drive it have radically altered the government information landscape in Canada. It’s time to document the context, tools, and techniques used to produce, acquire, organize, preserve, and access government information in Canada. We intend to do this via an edited book with the working title Government Information in Canada and encourage you to contribute to this project.

In the space of ten to twelve chapters, we expect to provide a platform for practitioners to present overviews, comparative studies, research papers, and case studies on these potential topics (note that individual topics may be combined into a single chapter):

• High level historical overview, bridging the gap between Bishop’s 1981 Canadian Official Publications (Oxford) and the present.

• Recent structural changes and current state of major federal systems:
  • departmental libraries
  • Depository Services Program
  • Library and Archives Canada (government collections only)
  • Canada’s Open Government Initiative
• Overview of provincial publishing, depository systems, and access structures
• Digital developments
  • digitization
  • digital curation and preservation
• Communities of Practice
  • library associations, conferences, Government Information Day
  • advocacy and advisory committees

Please submit a 300 to 500 word abstract about the chapter you wish to submit, noting the proposed title of the chapter and authors, to Sam-Chin Li before April 1st, 2015.

 

Important dates:

Intent to submit: April 1st, 2015

Notification of Acceptance: June 1st, 2015

Full Chapter Deadline: December 1st, 2015

Review Results to Authors: April 1st, 2016

Revised Chapter Due: June 1st, 2016

Note: publisher to be secured by May, 2015

 

Web page: https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/wakaruk/research/cfp2015

 

Editors:
Amanda Wakaruk
Government Information Librarian
University of Alberta Library
Amanda.wakaruk@ualberta.ca

Sam-chin Li
Government Information Librarian
University of Toronto Libraries
Samchin.li@utoronto.ca

Long-form census [OCUL]

[source page]

Ontario Council of University Libraries has made available information on the impact of the cancellation of the mandatory long-form census and the current process in Parliament to reinstate it for 2016.

n July 2010, OCUL joined many concerned organizations and individuals in Canada in objecting to the government of Canada’s decision to cancel the mandatory long-form questionnaire as part of the 2011 Census of Population.

OCUL represents 21 Ontario university libraries with more than 450,000 students and faculty across the province. In addition, we provide support to researchers from municipalities, provincial and territorial governments, NGO’s, social and cultural associations, as well as private sector marketing and business firms and organizations.

The OCUL Data Community is a community of data professionals with expertise and interests in the use of all forms of data, including the Canadian census. The information presented here has been prepared to identify the impact of the cancellation of the mandatory long-form census and ensure that researchers have a full understanding of the current situation.

These links provide:

background information on the mandatory long-form census cancellation and its impact on research and public policy [click here]

the current process in Parliament to reinstate the mandatory long-form census for 2016 [click here]

Open Government Action Plan 2.0 Consultation – Summary Report

The Government of Canada has released a Summary Report on the Open Action Plan 2.0 Consultations that took place between April and October 2014.

What We Heard – Summary Report

The report includes many visual representations of the data collected and offers examples of comments received on different parts of the Action Plan 2.0.

Of particular interest is the section addressing the ‘Open Information Core Commitment’ and the Appendices which include summaries of the commentary from specific groups.

The Government of Canada also continues to seek feedback from the community on these issues: http://open.canada.ca/en/forms/contact-us

Canada Launches Second Action Plan on Open Government

Earlier this morning, the Government of Canada announced its Second Action Plan on Open Government. Of particular interest is the open information page and search engine, which, at this stage, provides integrated access to LAC and GoC Publications holdings. For more information, check out the following resources:

News release

Action Plan on Open Government 2.0

New website: open.canada.ca

Note the handy feedback button at the bottom of the page. Send in your comments, suggestions, questions, etc.!

CLA responds to the Canada’s Draft Action Plan on Open Government 2.0 Consultation

The CLA believes that access to the widest variety of information and points of view is critical to the functioning and evolution of a democratic society. Citizens, organizations, and governments make better, more informed decisions when they take part in a free exchange of ideas facilitated by open, affordable, equitable, and timely access to information.

It is with such values in mind that CLA responds to the Government of Canada’s Action Plan on Open Government 2.0 Consultation, with specific recommendations to support openness, transparency, and access to and the preservation of government information in Canada.

Read the full response here. 

Cuts to Statistics Canada are Harming Canadians

The CLA recently released a statement in response cuts at Statistics Canada. The below text is an abstract – please click here for the full statement.

“… Recent programme cuts and policy changes at Statistics Canada have made it more difficult than ever for Canadians to track changes to critical issues that affect their communities, such as unemployment rates or the education of our children. The replacement of the mandatory long-form census with the National Household Survey, at a significantly greater cost, and the cancellation of many social surveys has made it increasingly challenging, if not impossible, for municipalities, hospitals, schools, and government agencies to administer social programmes and to track their success. In some cases, municipalities are financing their own surveys to gather the critical data they once had access to through StatCan (see full article for reference). StatCan cuts and changes are continuing to impede effective planning for all agencies, making future programming a costly gamble. Additionally, with all levels of government focused on social and economic innovation, it is imperative that municipalities have the ability to look back on trends in order to plan for the future with reliable data…”

Government Information Day | Journée d’information gouvernementale

Save the date!

The University of Ottawa Library, with sponsorship from the Carleton University Library, is organizing a one-day conference, Government Information Day, scheduled to take place on Thursday, October 16th, 2014 at the University of Ottawa’s downtown campus.

Last year, Government Information Day was held at the University of Toronto and we would like to continue last year’s valuable discussion. We are currently in the process of developing the program. The broad theme will be focused around collaboration, with presentations and panels organized around two proposed subthemes: (i) preservation and access and (ii) open government.

Government Information Day is designed as a forum for keeping current on ongoing changes, but also for exploring how we can collaborate and respond to emerging and ongoing challenges and opportunities in the field of government information in Canada.

Stay tuned for more details and registration information.

If you have any questions, please, feel free to get in touch with us at gsg@uottawa.ca.

Marquez votre calendrier!

Organisée par la Bibliothèque de l’Université d’Ottawa, sous le patronage de la Bibliothèque de l’Université Carleton, la Journée d’information gouvernementale est une conférence d’une journée qui aura lieu le jeudi 16 octobre 2014 au campus principal de l’Université d’Ottawa.

L’an dernier, la Journée d’information gouvernementale a eu lieu à l’Université de Toronto et nous aimerions poursuivre la discussion entamée. Nous sommes à présent en voie d’élaborer le programme de la Journée. Le thème général sera axée sur la collaboration, et comprendra des présentations et des tables rondes structurées autour des deux sous-thèmes proposés: (i) la préservation et l’accès et (ii) la transparence gouvernementale.

La Journée d’information gouvernementale, est non seulement conçue comme une instance ouverte pour permettre de rester à l’affût des changements en cours, mais aussi pour examiner les façons de collaborer et de répondre aux défis et aux occasions qui se posent dans le domaine de l’information gouvernementale au Canada.

Des détails supplémentaires et de l’information relative à l’inscription seront bientôt disponibles.

Si vous avez des questions, n’hésitez pas à nous les faire parvenir à gsg@uottawa.ca.

Contribute to the Open Government Ideas Dialogue

An “Ideas Dialogue” has been development as part of the Government of Canada’s Action Plan on Open Government 2.0 Consultation:

What is the Idea Dialogue? It is a way to take the next step in building Canada’s Action Plan on Open Government 2.0. We’d like you to share your ideas on ways the Government of Canada could focus its efforts toward increased openness and transparency. You could also help build on someone else’s idea by adding your comments on the idea details discussion pages.

Canada’s first Action Plan on Open Government helped us make significant strides in providing easier access to the data and information Canadians want.

This could be a great opportunity for the government information community to make concrete suggestions for improving access to government information and data in Canada. Please, contribute your recommendations to this consultation, spread the word, and upvote the ideas you support!

Un dialogue en matière d’idées relatives à l’élaboration du Plan d’action du Canada pour un gouvernement ouvert 2.0 a été développé:

En quoi consiste le dialogue en matière d’idées? Il s’agit d’un moyen de passer à l’étape suivante dans l’élaboration du Plan d’action du Canada pour un gouvernement ouvert 2.0. Nous aimerions connaître vos idées sur la façon dont le gouvernement du Canada pourrait orienter ses efforts en vue d’accroître son ouverture et sa transparence. Vous pourriez également enrichir l’idée d’une autre personne en ajoutant vos commentaires aux pages de discussion relatives aux détails de l’idée en question.

Le premier Plan d’action du Canada pour un gouvernement ouvert nous a aidé à réaliser d’importants progrès qui ont permis de faciliter l’accès des Canadiens à l’information.