Item - 2018.GM26.12

The Government Management Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council authorize all City of Toronto Division Heads to purchase memberships from and enter into any necessary agreements with Code for Canada to carry out delivery of training and innovation-related projects that advance Divisional goals.

2.  City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to report to the Government Management Committee in the fall of 2019 with an update on the implementation of Civic Hall Toronto.

The City of Toronto has made significant progress towards incorporating innovation into the work of its municipal government. Generally, across the City of Toronto's divisions, staff are seeking innovative solutions to help make the City more accessible and to deliver better services to residents.

To help facilitate and support staff teams and Divisions in approaching projects and community challenges with new ideas and more effective programming, City staff explored a range of models used in other jurisdictions to promote innovation within local government. One such model was New York City's Civic Hall, which provides a platform for government to co-create projects and solutions with the community. This report builds on the model created in New York and provides the details of a 'made in Toronto' approach to promote innovation in the City: Civic Hall Toronto.

Civic Hall Toronto is an answer for the many individuals and teams across the City who want to collaborate with innovation practitioners from all orders of government, as well as civic tech start-ups and social entrepreneurs, in order to develop and test new solutions to long-standing problems. Offering space, training and project support, Civic Hall Toronto will be driven by a non-profit partner, Code for Canada, and a hosting partner, the Centre for Social Innovation. Civic Hall Toronto will be launched in the spring of 2018 and will become a home for the civic innovation community.