A Smart City: Cornwall moves to position itself for the new millenium

Every great city has certain special times in its history when a unique event or vision opened doors to opportunity, growth and development. The choice of one community over another for a seat of government, the development of a railroad or highway linking a town to distant markets, economic trends spurring rapid growth in local industry: all are examples of major events that shaped cities such as Ottawa, Chicago and Los Angeles. As the twentieth century draws to a close, cities around the world are quickly realizing that telecommunications may offer yet another opportunity for fundamental change in how their communities will grow over the next several decades.

In Cornwall several groups have been working together to formalize a "Smart Community" initiative and help position the City for opportunities that the new millenium will bring. Simply put, the concept of a smart community is a community that embraces the use of new technology and knowledge in all levels of society: in schools, businesses, hospitals and at home. The benefits are obvious. Not only do our children and ultimately our workforce learn new skills, but our businesses and organizations will learn how to complete tasks more efficiently. Ultimately, our businesses will be more competitive and open new markets, and this greater knowledge base will nurture innovation and creativity.

Mayor Brian Sylvester, encouraged by the efforts of the Cornwall Technology Council and the economic renewal efforts of the Chamber of Commerce and Connections Cornwall, organized a Mayor's Summit to give wider exposure to the smart community concept. The Summit provided a catalyst for several separate and ongoing initiatives, including improvements to the local telecommunications infrastructure, the development of sophisticated user applications at the area's leading institutions, the development of a local fibre high bandwidth network and the participation of Cornwall in a larger scope project called the Regional Networks of Ontario.

Driving all these efforts was the recognition that Cornwall must not be left behind in the global race to use new technology. Moreover, strategies had to be developed to recognize and overcome barriers such as high cost of access, bandwidth limitations and access to service alternatives. Support was immediately forthcoming from Cornwall City Council and Human Resources Development Canada, and an early goal was reached with the announcement of a significant investment by Bell Canada in the City's telecommunications infrastructure.

The effort to date has been acknowledged as the first phase towards making Cornwall a true "smart city". With much of the research and groundwork now in place, and consensus reached on short and long term goals, the next phase will see the evolution of the Technology Council into a broader Smart Community Council. With the formal support of several community leaders and organizations, the Council will have as its mandate to deliver community resources to specific "smart initiatives", such as the ongoing development and evolution of local infrastructure and user applications.

Cornwall is widely acknowledged as a very good city in which to do business. It scores very well on site selection exercises that examine the costs of labour, facility maintenance and operations. Its strategic geographic location is also attractive as are the softer qualities of life such as schools, amenities and affordable housing. By becoming a smart community, Cornwall will significantly enhance its ability to compete with other cities and towns that are looking to secure new investment. As physical factors such as distance to markets and building costs continue to decline in importance, the ability of a community to offer a skilled workforce and fast, unfettered access to world's telecommunications networks will take precedence.

Cornwall plans to be ahead of the game when that happens, positioning itself as a smarter choice for companies looking to expand and relocate - a true City for the 21st Century!