[WSIS CS-Plenary] Launch/Public Announcement - Civic Access - Accès Civique

[Robert Guerra]

(My apologies if you've received this already)

I wanted to share the following announcement of a rather interesting and
cool initiative some colleagues in Canada have just started. I hope it
is of interest to members of the WSIS & Internet Governance community.

Indeed, it's a creative way to use Wiki technology to organize and
co-ordinate NGO information society activities. Perhaps it will
encourage us in the WSIS/IGF space to setup a similar wiki workspace...


I wish my fellow Canadian colleagues all the luck and success in the
weeks, months and years ahead.

Regards

Robert

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# Launch/PublicAnnouncement #
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http://civicaccess.ca/wiki/Launch/PublicAnnouncement


Please forward to friends, associates and relevant organizations, send
to relevant mailing lists, blog, or pass on to press contacts or your
political representatives.

We would like to announce the launch of a new online space for Canadian
civic engagement - Citizens for Open Access to Civic Information and
Data (aka: CivicAccess.ca). CivicAccess is being founded by librarians,
civil servants, academics, lawyers, free- and open-source advocates,
geomatics professionals and community planners from across Canada. We
are motivated by the belief that open civic information and data are
necessary for being engaged citizens in an "information society".

Our goals are:

   1. To encourage all levels of governments (county, municipal,
provincial, federal) to make civic data and information available to
citizens without restrictions, at no cost, and in useable open formats.
   2. To encourage the development of citizen projects using civic data
and information

Access to civic information and data help us make informed choices as
voters. In addition it helps to ensure government transparency and
accountability - essential elements of a democracy. These are the bits
and bytes required to understand, critically analyze, and re-envision
the communities in which we live.

As engaged citizens in our neighborhoods, cities, and provinces we are
working to develop a community of practice on open civic data in Canada.

This is an idea whose time has come. Please join us in making it a reality!

Founders: Darin Barney, Marcus Bornfreund, Stéphane Couture, Patrick
Dinnen, Daniel Faivre, Michael Geist, Stephane Guidoin, Michael
Gurstein, Daniel Haran, Ted Hildebrandt, Alton Hollett, Cory Horner,
Tracey Lauriault, Nathalie Leclerc, Michael Lenczner, Graham Longford,
Hugh McGuire, Russell McOrmond, Robin Millette, Joe Murray, Michael
Pilling, Joel Rivard, Gabe Sawhney, Phillip Smith and Marc Tuters.

To find out more:

Discussion List -
http://civicaccess.ca/mailman/listinfo/civicaccess-discuss_civicaccess.ca/

Website - http://civicaccess.ca/

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