Appendix IV: Canada Information Economy Strategy
1. CAP-Community Access Programme: To help Canadians take advantage of emerging opportunities in new global knowledge based economies, Industry Canada is helping establish sites for public access in 5000 rural and remote communities and up to 5000 urban communities by March 2001. By the end of 1999 over 4000 rural and remote communities had been connected. A strong focus on the Internet as an enabler of economic and social development, information, business opportunities and skills development. Each access point has skilled/knowledgeable advisors to support users. Linked to Canada's Youth Employment Strategy to help 1000 young Canadians gain skills and work experience related to IT.
2. VolNet: Administered by Industry Canada to offer Internet connectivity (including computer equipment and skills development and support) to 10,0000 voluntary organisations by March 2001, VolNet is a joint undertaking by the federal government and the private and voluntary sectors guided by a National Advisory Committee of private and voluntary sector representatives and federal officials. Industry Canada has created a network of VolNet delivery agencies to provide services to eligible charitable and not-for-profit organisations. These agencies provide ongoing assistance in integrating new technologies into voluntary organisations' day to day work. NB: VolNet has just been recommended by the Irish Information Society Commission as a model for providing structured support to the community and voluntary sector.
3. Smart Communities:A Smart Community demonstration project will be established in each province, the North, and an Aboriginal (native) community by 2000 in order to help communities understand how to harness the power of ICT for community and economic development. Again, the driver is to show communities how to prosper in the global, knowledge based economy.
4. Canadian digital collection: Young people (15-30) are given entrepreneurial and technical based experience to create Web sites featuring Canada's information resources. Funding is provided under the Youth Employment Strategy. Firms, organisations and institutions are awarded contracts to hire young people to digitise their texts.
5. Aboriginal Digital Collection: provides a financial contribution to Aboriginal organisations and businesses selected through a competitive process, to hire Aboriginal youth to design web sites. The funding is part of the Youth Employment Scheme. The work experience is seen as giving these young people the opportunity to develop the work skills they need to compete in a knowledge-based economy and develop Aboriginal multi-media companies.
6. Student Connection Programme: University and college students are hired and trained as student business advisors to SMEs across Canada with hands-on, customised Internet training ranging from "getting connected" and using e-mail to advanced e-commerce and Internet banking.
Back to Top