Hackers could be descending on New Westminster City Hall during Innovation Week.
A hackathon is one of several events taking place in New Westminster during Innovation Week, which runs from Feb. 25 to March 3. The two-day hacking event featuring activities for all ages and skills kicks off Innovation Week on Saturday, Feb. 25 and Sunday, Feb. 26.
“We thought it would be great fun to take over city hall and have a two-day hackathon. It’s Hack Our City,” said Innovation Week project coordinator Jen Arbo. “They are activities that are designed for true open-data hacking using the city’s open data sets that are available. Right now there are more than 80 sets and more coming. There will be true hacking with projects at the end of it.”
In addition to no-code civic hacking and coding projects, Hack Our City will feature demonstrations from local businesses on their innovations, Lego Robotics and other hand’s-on workshops for children and youth, a tech bar where people can ask questions about their devices and more.
“We will also have the Spare Parts Adventure Playground, which is taking a bunch of construction materials and dumping them on the ground with hammers and nails and saying, ‘Build something,’” said Arbo, who has a short-term contract with the city to help with the marketing, logistics and interconnectivity of all the events. “We will have a bunch of different implements so we can really show off that innovation is for everyone and it is all types.”
The City of New Westminster is using the Innovation Week as an opportunity to strengthen relationships that may increase funding opportunities and partnerships and to promote city initiatives.
Ruby Campbell, the city’s intergovernmental and community partnerships manager, said Innovation Week arose out of discussions with the federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic to hold an Innovation Forum in New Westminster. Because of the “enthusiastic response” from the community, she said it’s grown into a weeklong event that includes a variety of offerings, including:
* PechaKucha New West will focus on innovation for its 14th event on Saturday, Feb. 25 in the penthouse of the Anvil Centre office tower. Ten presenters will share their passions in presentations featuring 20 images for 20 seconds.
* The Innovation Leadership Dinner on Thursday, March 2 at Anvil Centre, being offered in partnership with the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, features a panel discussion on innovation with Mayor Jonathan Cote, Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart, Burnaby Mayor Derrick Corrigan, Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore and other municipal representatives.
* The Innovation Forum, offered in partnership with Public Service and Procurement Canada, takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Anvil Centre.
“If you have a small business or if you have a business that is trying to grow, this is where you want to learn about all the federal funding that is available to you,” Campbell said of the event that was the catalyst for Innovation Week. “This is a free workshop. It’s a federal government workshop that is free.”
Other events taking place during Innovation Week include a new exhibition, Brink, at the New Media Gallery in Anvil Centre. It opens Feb. 23.
The International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE 891 Motion Picture Technicians and the Directors Guild of Canada B.C. are hosting their Digital Days 2017: The Future is Now conference and trade show at Anvil Centre on March 3 and 4. The public is invited to attend a special community event showcasing virtual reality on the evening of Friday, March 3.
“I think this is going to be a week that sort of breaks New Westminster open in terms of people being able to see the kind of innovation we are actually planning here,” said Coun. Bill Harper. “Overall, I think this is a huge move forward for us. What is most important is the engagement with the groups.”
Mayor Jonathan Cote said he’s particularly excited about the opportunity to learn from other city leaders at the innovation dinner and to see what creative ideas come out of the hackathon.
“I think the cities that have the greatest economic growth are those that connect with the innovation economy, the creative economy,” he said. “It’s these types of activities that I think are going to put New Westminster on the map.”
