Christiann Koepke
Digital Service Squad
Town Council was recently updated on the Digital Oakville Plan, which is a set of goals and promises to better connect our community in the online space and ease access to public services.
A highlight of the report is the progress in making online services ubiquitous. Online applications/permits/licenses for business licensing, building permits, parking and more have all been updated and improved upon. A 3D GIS map will aid residents in “visualizing areas within town.” Finding a way to integrate a PRESTO “tap on” feature for transit users has been mentioned as a priority.
A revelation from the updated report is a partnership with Sheridan College and Inovex Inc. on a pilot project to find out how residents travelling to and from the Oakville GO Station can move more freely. Any additional services or infrastructure needed to bring this vision to reality are being explored.
The town also wants to establish “one payment standard across all town services”. In other words – one consistent and reliable way to pay.
Mayor Rob Burton confirmed that Oakville “is committed to exploring new technologies and innovative ways to connect our community.” He believes that the plan “ensures we are continuing to be strategic about investing in digital enhancements and improving access to public services.”
93 percent of Oakvilleans who partook in the 2022 Citizen Survey were satisfied with the town services; 73 percent were satisfied with the availability of online services. Moreover, nine in 10 who used the town’s website were satisfied.
The town isn't resting on it's laurels, however. Digital infrastructure will keep improving; there will be free public Wi-Fi, digital information kiosks, pedestrian counters, and real-time parking information in downtown Oakville.
More electric vehicle charging stations across Oakville have also been promised. As far as going electric, it doesn’t just stop there; a point of pride for Oakville Transit services is the introduction of battery electric buses.
Here are some more of the improvements being made:
- Building on the success of the snow plow tracker and offering an online loose leaf service tracker that allows residents to track the progress of the loose leaf service program and coordinate their yard work with this service
- Adding overnight parking and courtesy temporary parking permits to online services
- Modernizing and standardizing field staff’s communication devices to increase operational range, increase productivity, reduce costs, and reduce operational footprint
