Tuesday, October 22, 2013
By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Kathleen Wynne to launch ‘open government’ push to boost transparency
Premier Kathleen Wynne wants to fling open the doors of government.
Dogged by the lingering controversy over the Liberals’ shadowy cancellation of two gas plants at a cost of up $1.1 billion, Wynne is pushing for greater transparency at Queen’s Park.
“Together, let’s do government differently,” the premier writes in an unusual open letter to Ontarians to be released Monday.
“We need to make information easier to find, understand and use, so that we can design services that deliver better results to the people of Ontario. We must also unlock public data so that you can help us solve problems and find new ways of doing things.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Can’t Wynne on spelling
CHRIS YOUNG / THE CANADIAN PRESS
“I believe that government data belongs to the people of Ontario and so we will make government data open by default, limiting access only to safeguard privacy, security and confidentiality.”
To that end, the premier will turn to a top academic, a respected former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, business leaders, and a bevy of experts on “open government” to improve public access to the inner workings of the province.
Wynne wants her administration to “open up more data and information” so Ontarians can “engage in the decision-making process and the development of policy.”
She hopes that along with making government more accountable, the availability of more data will “boost innovation and economic productivity.”
“By putting data online for fresh analysis, we can spark innovative discoveries that could help grow our economy and improve peoples’ lives,” she writes in her letter. (Source: Toronto Star)
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