Edmonton participated in a nationwide contest to be selected for Smart City design in 2018. Once the finalist round arrived, the city was among the five finalists and at stake was $60 million in government infrastructure investment for the winning city. The actual winner of the challenge has not yet to date been chosen as the review panel is in the process of visiting each finalist for a final comparison of their planning proposals. However, Edmonton has definitely put in a significant effort to reach the top.

The city’s proposal is focused on health and an exact needs collaboration among government, residents, private sector and non-profit entities. By incorporating analytics, technology and data collection, the decision-making involved in the proposal is expected to advance the ability of equal opportunity to healthy living for all Edmonton residents.
The primary goals of the challenge are for a municipality to improve the lives of its residents via information, innovation, security and privacy.

The winning city will receive $50 million from the Canadian government for infrastructure development to be matched by $5 million from the city itself as well as $5 million from a consortium of local non-profit partners and private investment. This last piece can be both direct financial as well as in-kind commitments, and a key factor is leveraging local resources already in place for related partnerships. One example could be improved hotel resources to expand the capability of tourism which in turn boosts local economies, adds jobs, and increases trade and commerce within the local region.

While the winner has not been picked yet, Edmonton has already achieved a massive win in becoming one of the final five choices, beating out the crowd of 130 different municipalities vying for the same price. So there is a high probability of the city reaching the finish line on this opportunity.

Locals, including our staff at the Ramada Edmonton Yellowhead, are proud of the city’s construction and development over the years.