Coun. Bill Harper a national champion.
In honour of International Open Government Week, the Public Sector Digest announced Canada’s Open City Champions on May 11 in three categories: City Council; Community Leader; and City Administrative Leader. Harper was named Open City Champion in the City Council category, beating out Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and Toronto councillor Paul Ainslie.
“Working together, we’ve made solid progress transforming New Westminster into a leader in open government through our efforts to expand our open data offerings and innovate with partners on new ways to use data for the benefit of communities. Robust open data platforms and strategies that engage communities and inspire citizens to get involved are important components in our efforts to find new and better ways to deliver services,” Harper said in a press release. “While my name may be the one on the award, this recognition is shared by many – by my fellow council members, city staff and the community members who have worked with us to further our Intelligent City vision for the past six years.”
According to a City of New Westminster press release, Public Sector Digest received dozens of nominations from across the country for the Open City Champion Awards in each of three categories. Nominees were judged by a panel of experts on several criteria including their contribution to the development, improvement and/or continuous support of their community’s open data initiative.
“We’re very proud to see Bill’s many contributions to our Intelligent City and open data efforts recognized at the national level,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote. “He has truly been a champion on council of our Intelligent City initiative, and our community is making great strides as a result of his leadership on this front.”
The Open City Champion Awards strive to highlight the importance of committing to more open, transparent and accountable local government.
“Coun. Bill Harper of the City of New Westminster, embodies the city council leader that champions the open data cause. Bill is the founding co-chair for the city’s Intelligent City advisory committee. He has supported the collaboration on open data between the city and the University of British Columbia and was instrumental in launching the city’s first Hack our City hackathon event. Bill has continuously encouraged the city to push the boundaries with open data, working with staff to address gaps in their program identified through the Open Cities Index,” said a news release from the Public Sector Digest. “In 2017, New Westminster climbed six positions in the index to sixth overall, landing the top spot among cities with a population between 50,000 and 100,000. Bill also provided leadership in the development of an open data user feedback loop that provides suggestions on how best to enhance the city’s open data efforts.”
