Evidence of meeting #42 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was andrishak.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
I'm sorry, Mr. Andrishak; I have to interrupt. Maybe you can continue for the last few minutes with one of our other questioners.
Sorry, Mr. Badawey.
We'll go to Ms. Block.
February 2nd, 2017 / 12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
To our witnesses, I join my colleagues in welcoming you here.
I want to follow up on the question that my colleague Mr. Hardie asked, because for me that's really the link to why it's perhaps reasonable that this committee should be looking at smart communities and the role that the federal government plays.
I recognize that you didn't have very much time to answer the question, Mr. Andrishak, and that you actually made a commitment to have more of a conversation off-line. However, I would prefer that the conversation take place at this committee. I think it speaks to the role of the federal government, especially in light of the PBO report that was released this morning. What we're reading in the news from that report is that the federal government is well behind not only on spending infrastructure dollars but also on identifying which projects they will spend those dollars on.
It's also being reported that the government is being taken to task for its lack of transparency on spending and that it has not provided any performance measurement framework to make sure that the dollars being spent are meeting their intended goals. I think that speaks directly to what Mr. Hardie has identified.
I am very interested in any comments from our witnesses in terms of what needs to be put in place to ensure that the federal government is identifying the goals and then ensuring that those goals are being met when they provide funding to a municipality.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK
For sure it's to Mr. Andrishak, because I think he made the commitment to have the conversation off-line.
12:55 p.m.
Director, IBI Group Inc.
Well, I'm interested that you mentioned performance metrics, because that really is becoming a big portion of what we do in our work. We've found over the years that it's easier to design visionary cities than it is to get them implemented. We're running on the theory that what gets measured gets valued.
A big part of anything we're talking about here with regard to smart cities and the integration of transit is that we could simply and easily have an equivalent public hearing on performance metrics, on how you value and what you measure. I think it's absolutely a big portion of what has to be done so that we move beyond just the big-picture thinking and get into actually implementing what needs to be done.
Thank you.
1 p.m.
Conservative
1 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Just so you know, it is one o'clock. I'm kind of stretching it to give you sufficient time.
1 p.m.
Conservative
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair. If I have done the math correctly, I still have two minutes left.
I would like to get back to you, Mr. Slack, and I'm going to clarify the question I asked previously.
Could you cite one program from the government's latest budget that gave you access to funds to help you realize your smart city projects? How can the federal government help you today, with the tools that are in place, to develop your smart city or any other city in that regard? Since you work directly in that field, can you mention one program?
1 p.m.
Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, City of Mississauga
I would say that it would be more indirect. A lot of the funding programs have been geared more toward the community centres. With the infrastructure stimulus fund, we did redevelopment of the community centres, and as part of that you can introduce new technologies. When you rebuild a building, you can put Wi-Fi in it.
Most of the funding has been targeted toward transit improvements and recreation improvements. Funding programs specifically for smart cities, technology, and more technical-type initiatives just have not.... Canada 150 is the first time we've had an opportunity to really submit something around broadband.
1 p.m.
Conservative
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Thank you.
Mr. Andrishak, in your first comment, you referred to the importance of the private sector. In most of the actions that are taken, either municipally—where I came from—federally or provincially, the importance of the private sector in the development of smart cities and new technologies is hardly ever mentioned.
Not too long ago, I met one of the executives from Uber. He spoke to me about everything he could do to improve traffic management if his company, whenever it arrives in a municipality, were not perceived as an enemy—as we saw in Montreal—but rather as an ally of the government.
I would like to hear what you think about that.
1 p.m.
Director, IBI Group Inc.
I certainly do. I mentioned on-demand transit. I use Uber a lot when I'm working in California. We've had conversations with Uber and their competitors to come up with strategies that take away the responsibility for transit agencies and suburban communities to run a big bus once an hour. You're never quite sure when the bus is coming by, but with Uber, you can sit in your home, dial Uber up, and they pick you up. They take you to the transit station, your ticket is blended with your transit ticket, and away you go.
They're interested and willing to do that. In other words, they have algorithms that can pick six people up on a snowy street in Laval and get them to the transit station, where the heavy lifting is done. They can do it more efficiently, and they're interested in and wanting to pursue those strategies. I think we have to bite the bullet and understand when the public sector dollars serve the problem and when the private sector does.
1 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much, Mr. Andrishak.
Mr. Rayes, you had seven minutes and two seconds.
At any rate, thank you very much to our witnesses. Thank you for kicking off our study. You can see that we're all very interested in it.
The meeting is adjourned.