Together in this session we will explore some made-in-Toronto examples of innovation. Our panelists will reflect upon examples where community members share leadership and bring people together in new ways using technology and social capital to tackle challenges. This discussion will be lively with lots of opportunities for questions and discussion.

Pamela Robinson - Dr. Pamela Robinson MCIP RPP is the Director of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University. Throughout her career as a planner her research and practice have focused on complex, emergent challenges that Canadian communities face. Her current research focuses on the question: who is planning the Canadian smart city? Since 2010, Pamela has written a regular column for Spacing Magazine where she writes about equity, technology and civic engagement in Canadian cities. Robinson is a member of the Toronto Public Library’s Innovation Council and the Multi-Stakeholder Forum for the Government of Canada’s Open Government Partnership work.

Alice Xu - Alice Xu has called Toronto home since immigrating to Canada as a teenager with her family. A proud public servant at the City of Toronto for over 15 years, Alice is currently the Manager of the Connected Community/Smart City program at the City of Toronto's Technology Services Division. The Connected Community team is committed to delivering broader quality of life value as a City through the use of data, technology and processes. Prior to joining the Connected Community/Smart City team in 2019, Alice spent over 10 years cutting her teeth in the vehicle and business licensing and regulatory world in Municipal Licensing and Standards, where she navigated regulatory challenges like ride-sharing and rooming houses. Alice is leading the creation of Toronto's City's Digital Infrastructure Plan, a comprehensive plan that also serves as an outward evaluation tool for external proposals with digital elements. She is also leading the work on ConnectTO, a program that includes the creation of a city-wide high-speed internet network that connects underserved areas with affordable internet access.

Tai Huynh -Tai Huynh is a designer and social innovator interested in creativity as the fuel for changemaking. Tai is Creative Director at OpenLab at the University Health Network, Canada’s largest research hospital. He works with an inter-disciplinary team to come up with creative solutions to pressing issues at the intersection of health and society. Tai is the founding editor-in-chief of The Local, an award-winning magazine exploring urban health and social issues in Toronto, and co-founder of Choosing Wisely Canada. Tai has a Master of Design from OCAD University and MBA from York University.

Chiyi Tam- is an urban planner and community organizer based in Tkaronto's Kensington-Chinatown neighborhood. She is currently the manager of the Kensington Market Community Land Trust. She also organizes with Friends of Chinatown Toronto, which is also exploring community ownership as an anti-displacement strategy for racial & economic justice in Toronto’s Chinatowns. She frequently consults with groups regarding social enterprise legislation, governance and cooperative strategies. She aims to reciprocate knowledge into community.

Civic Innovation: Building the Enabling Infrastructure for New Ways of Working Together