Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario – October 21, 2016
The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) today named the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2017. This select group of communities, which emerged from a group of nearly 400, will now move on and remain in contention for the prestigious designation of an Intelligent Community Top7, to be named in Taipei, Taiwan in February 2017. One of the seven will then be named Intelligent Community of the Year at the Intelligent Community Summit and Awards Dinner in New York on June 8, 2017.
A video presentation of the announcement as well as a complete list of the communities named as Smart 21 Communities is available on the Intelligent Community Forum’s website at the following link:
http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/icf_names_the_smart21_communities_of_2017
“The Smart21 list always has a few surprises,” said ICF co-founder Louis Zacharilla while making the announcement. “This one definitely does.” He noted that the list rarely includes the biggest cities with global reputations. It is a group of cities, counties and rural communities that decided to apply digital tools to building local economies and societies to prosper in an age of digital disruption.
“We find that it is the ones who collaborate with national or state governments, fly under the radar, and are ‘No Name’ communities to most of the world that are most innovative and aggressive,” said ICF co-founder John Jung. “They are not afraid of new ideas and use strategies proven by Intelligent Communities around the world. They are places that the rest of the world can learn from and offer hope to people who are fighting hard to launch a new future, and create early stage investment opportunities to the outside world.”
The Smart21 Communities of 2017 are comprised of seven communities from Canada, five communities from Taiwan, four communities from Australia, and one each from Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership applied for this prestigious award on behalf of the entire community to recognize the work that has been done by so many groups to further the economy of Sarnia-Lambton.
“To be designated as a Smart21 community for the second year in a row, recognizes Sarnia-Lambton as a community that can effectively compete in the global economy,” said George Mallay, General Manager of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership. Mallay also notes that “The recognition is a testament to our communities’ collaboration and forward thinking. It recognizes the quality of life Sarnia-Lambton offers and acknowledges that small rural communities in Sarnia-Lambton have the tools to allow an entrepreneur to conduct business in a global economy- and to do so in a cost effective manner.”
“To receive this recognition again is a tribute to the work of George Mallay and Geoff Greening of the Sarnia Lambton Economic Development Corporation staff and others in our collaborative community. The accolades continue to come in to Sarnia Lambton for developing a cutting edge forward thinking vision for the future that creates jobs and opportunities for today and tomorrow” said Mike Bradley chair of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership Board.
“Sarnia-Lambton, through the support of both public and private entities, has demonstrated tremendous commitment to further establishing itself as a community capable of prospering in the Broadband Economy,” said SWIFT Board of Director Vice Chair and Lambton County Warden Bev MacDougall. “These efforts continue to be supported and advanced through SWIFT’s ultra high-speed internet connectivity project and accompanying investments from senior levels of government and member municipalities of the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus.”
2017 Submission highlighted the following projects:
1. Fibre Expansion Projects (Bluewater Power, Brooke Telecom, Hay Communications and SWIFT initiative) These projects expand Fibre to both commercial and residential customers in both rural and urban areas of Lambton County.
2. Actua STEM camp for elementary students grades 4-6 (Aamjiwnaang, Walpole Island and Kettle and Stony Point First Nations). Over the last 10 years, these camps have inspired interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
3. Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative and Comet Biorefining: bringing together biotechnology sector and local agricultural industry to utilized excess corn stover and wheat straw to produce cellulosic sugars.
4. Lambton County Library Maker Space: providing access to new technologies, tools and resources to design and build innovative creations for fun or entrepreneurial pursuits and subsequent Made in Lambton group.
5. Lambton Shores Waste Treatment Plant Envision Platinum Award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure: an award honouring the project for using new design technologies, enabling Lambton Shores to protect the Lake Huron water resources with a fiscally responsible, sustainable sewage treatment plant.
6. City of Sarnia Accessibility Awards/ Breaking Barriers to Business(BB2B)/ charging stations for Mobility Devices (Scooters and Wheel Chairs) as creative solutions to accommodate an aging population and make our community accessible and inclusive to everyone.
Evaluation of Intelligent Community Forum Awards Program nominations is based on the six Intelligent Community Indicators which are: Broadband, Knowledge Workforce, Innovation, Digital Equality, Sustainability, and Advocacy which provide the conceptual framework for understanding all of the factors that determine a community’s competitiveness and point to its success in the broadband economy.
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For more information, contact:
George Mallay, General Manager
Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership
519-332-1820 / 1-800-972-7642
Matthew Owen, Director of Operations
Intelligent Community Forum
Phone: +1 646-291-6166 (x105)
Email: mowen@intelligentcommunity.org
Twitter: @Newcommunities
About the Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org), headquartered in New York, is a global movement of nearly 150 cities, metro regions and counties with a think tank at its heart. ICF studies and promotes the best practices of the world’s Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the new demands and seize the opportunities presented by information and communications technology (ICT). To help cities and regions build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures, the Intelligent Community Forum conducts research, hosts global events, publishes books, and produces its high-profile annual international awards program. The Forum has two Institutes in North America dedicated to the study of the movement, with more institutes planned. Global leaders, thinkers, and media observers follow and participate in the ongoing global dialogue initiated by the Intelligent Community Forum. In 2012 ICF was invited to participate at the Nobel Peace Prize conference in Oslo and in 2014, its model and work was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which, according to the American government, was “aimed at creating a more flexible and responsive system of workforce development to meet the needs of employers looking to fill 21st century jobs.” The Forum’s membership is made up of 145 designated Intelligent Communities worldwide, which is represented by mayors and key civic leaders.