Open Government

Open Government

Open Government is based on this key idea: that good government is rooted in access, transparency and participation. Ultimately, public trust in government will increase (a worthy objective itself) when there is better – and broad – understanding of the functions and roles of government, and as accountability to the public increases. In its corporate Strategic Plan, as adopted by City Council, the City of Toronto bureaucracy has committed to this goal, and the session this week was a critical step towards building internal capacity for delivering on it.

Municipal governments are uniquely positioned to drive this movement forward by virtue of being closest – both geographically and in terms of the daily services they provide – to the people they govern. It has been fascinating for me to observe how, in some ways, it is easy to be accessible and transparent in municipal government. Anyone can show up and observe council in progress, or attend a committee meeting and request to depute. The City of Toronto reporting structure, which requires public reports to be submitted to committee and/or council prior to the debate of an item, provides the opportunity for those who choose to get into the details and complexities behind any issue, to do so.

In addition, a comprehensive public process, where background materials are provided to inform the public and shape the debate, typically informs the recommendations in these reports. Subsequently, the analysis, which informs the recommendations of City Staff to City Council, is made fully available to the public in the context of a report. These reports also remain, through the City of Toronto’s website, in the public domain.