August 16, 2010

Networking Communities
To Create the World's Most Intelligent Nation

i-Canada

"First the Community, Then the Country"
i-Canada promotes the community-based use of ultrafast broadband technology, harnessed to:
  • attract leading-edge businesses
  • stimulate job creation
  • build skills
  • generate economic growth
  • support new social applications, and
  • improve the delivery of government services
 Bill Hutchison, Chair i-Canada
Bill Hutchison, Chair, i-Canada

i-Canada: the ultra-fast network as the new national dream: Virtual Engines Running on Rails of Light

The Vision: is a nation of provincial and local Intelligent Communities featuring great places to live with innovation cultures and communications infrastructures, supporting growth in jobs and the economy and social prosperity for all citizens.

Innovation and Development:

User-based modules: : i-Canada’s experts use structured development modules that have evolved over years of development of Intelligent Communities around the world, such as: The new vision is to give everyone access to everyone else and to all information across networks with no delay -- the networks move information in real-time. This will create a ‘Canadian Commons’ where the population is effectively in one living room, accessible and accessing entertainment and information without the friction of distance. It is the ultimate result of the original national dream…from railway to real-time, from a transportation nation to a communication nation.

Leveraging the example of the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization project, which will soon provide a new billion-bits-a-second connection speed in Central Waterfront of Canada’s largest city, the i-Canada program will work with communities across the country to help them achieve the networking -- both connective and social -- that they need in order to have a sustainable future.

The i-Canada program is buttressed by opinion-leaders from the Public Sector, private enterprise and academia. Provincial Premiers are championing the concept, and the Mayors of 30 selected communities are the keystone in the approach to the community leaders. The participants: the leaders and decision-makers in the top 30 communities across Canada will be directly engaged. Business, Healthcare, Education and other sector leaders are involved; horizontal issues such as Innovation and Productivity are being addressed.

i-Canada is funded by donations from hundreds of people who have pledged support for the program, from sponsors, and from municipal and external public sector funds where applicable. It is inclusive and open, partnering with many other associations and institutions.

 

i-Canada inquiries to:
Barry Gander, Board of Directors, i-Canada
bgander@i-canada-network.ca
613-348-1220