serendipityoucity

I have been working on this with some really great folks across the country and today we launch! YES!

******** 

Public Launch - CivicAccess
April 26, 2006

We would like to announce the launch of a new online space for Canadian civic engagement - Citizens for Open Access to Civic Information and Data (aka: CivicAccess.ca). CivicAccess is being founded by librarians, civil servants, academics, lawyers, free- and open-source advocates, geomatics professionals and community planners from across Canada. We are motivated by the belief that open civic information and data are necessary for being engaged citizens in an "information society".

Our goals are:

1. To encourage all levels of governments (county, municipal, provincial, federal) to make civic data and information available to citizens without restrictions, at no cost, and in useable open formats.

2. To encourage the development of citizen projects using civic data and information

Access to civic information and data help us make informed choices as voters. In addition it helps to ensure government transparency and accountability - essential elements of a democracy. These are the bits and bytes required to understand, critically analyze, and re-envision the communities in which we live.

As engaged citizens in our neighborhoods, cities, and provinces we are working to develop a community of practice on open civic data in Canada.

This is an idea whose time has come. Please join us in making it a reality!

Founders: Darin Barney, Marcus Bornfreund, Stéphane Couture, Patrick Dinnen, Daniel Faivre, Michael Geist, Stephane Guidoin, Michael Gurstein, Daniel Haran, Ted Hildebrandt, Alton Hollett, Cory Horner, Tracey Lauriault, Nathalie Leclerc, Michael Lenczner, Graham Longford, Hugh McGuire, Russell McOrmond, Robin Millette, Joe Murray, Michael Pilling, Joel Rivard, Gabe Sawhney, Phillip Smith and Marc Tuters.

To find out more:

Discussion List - http://civicaccess.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss_civicaccess.ca/