City of Toronto launches Civic Innovation Office, announces first project

The City of Toronto has formally launched a new Civic Innovation Office and announced its first project during the inaugural Elevate Toronto technology festival last week. The three-person team led by director Paula Kwan is currently looking for a partner that can make Toronto’s 311 service access portal more responsive to users. The hotline receives more than 1.5 million calls a year, 70% of which are questions rather than requests for service. The office is seeking partners in communities and industries to work on solutions – using technology, data analysis and design -- to improve Toronto services. The Civic Innovation Office was created in March, and is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, reporting to city manager Peter Wallace. Kwan was previously head of global expansion for Pivotal Labs, a California-based cloud software company. Kwan works with design strategists Jay Vidyarthi and Todd Orvitz, who will be responsible for policy and operations.