I'm looking at my notes for one of the things the CIO is producing, because they have a list of what they would consider a first step in the types of information. That would be a good way to start.
If I remember correctly, they talk about statistical data. Statistical data, free of charge, would be a good first step in Canada. Statistics Canada collects a very widespread set of data that would be useful. They also talk about geospatial data, weather data, economic data, and immigration data. These are the types of data that are very valuable for academics and researchers in reuse.