According to a government release, issued Nov. 25, fellows “will be private-sector digital and data professionals — senior backend developers, product managers, user experience designers, service designers and data specialists — operating within Ontario to help solve the government’s most pressing design, data and technology challenges.”
The fellows will be nominated to work with the government by their current organization and will “begin their provincial ministry placements in February 2022 for approximately six months.”
According to the release, the placements will each have “one to two fellows to join a multidisciplinary team embedded within a ministry,” with six to 10 fellows onboarded across four ministries.
Other than the Courts Digital Transformation Initiative, which “will deliver digital access to courts,” the fellows could be placed with these projects:
- “The Service Modernization Project at the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry will create new digital services for permits, licences and authorizations.
- The Digital Identity Program at the Ontario Digital Service that will enable easier, more secure access to online services.
- The Compliance Modernization Project at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will further enhance the Ministry’s inspection and compliance programs, making them more client-focused and digital/data-driven.”
The deadline for applications, the release noted, is Dec. 10, 2021.
“We’re building a strong foundation for a digital Ontario and working with the private sector to make that happen,” said Kaleed Rasheed, associate minister of digital government, in a statement.
“Leveraging the expertise of the private sector will help us deliver simpler, faster and better services to the people of Ontario,” he added.
Ontario’s Digital and Data Innovation Fellowship, the release noted, is “modeled after the United States’ Presidential Innovation Fellowship and the NYC [x] Innovation Fellowship in New York City, the UK’s No. 10 Fellowship Programme, Australia’s Data Fellowship, and The Code for Canada Partnership.”
If you have any information, story ideas or news tips for The Lawyer’s Daily please contact Amanda Jerome at Amanda.Jerome@lexisnexis.ca or call 416-524-2152.