Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi has announced the 20 finalists of the Smart Cities Challenge. The announcement was made at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ annual conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“I am proud to see all the effort that communities have put into engaging with residents and in developing their Smart Cities Challenge proposals,” Sohi said. “These new ideas will result in positive outcomes for Canada’s middle class and improve people’s quality of life. I am thrilled at the meaningful, lasting and positive outcomes that this Challenge has already created for communities thus far, and look forward to seeing the final proposals.”

The communities named as finalists for the $5 million prize, which is given to a community with a population of 30,000 or less, are:

  • Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation, Ontario
  • Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
  • Cree Nation of Eastmain, Quebec
  • Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Quebec
  • Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Two communities, with populations of less than 500,000, will be awarded $10 million. The ten finialists are:

  • Airdrie and Area, Alberta
  • Communities of Nunavut, Nunavut
  • Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec
  • Greater Victoria, British Columbia
  • Guelph and Wellington County, Ontario
  • Parkland, Brazeau, Lac Ste Anne and Yellowhead Counties, Alberta
  • Richmond, British Columbia
  • Saint Mary’s First Nation and Fredericton, New-Brunswick
  • Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  • The Pas, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, and Kelsey, Manitoba

Five finalists have been named for the $50 million prize, open to all communities in Canada:

  • Edmonton, Alberta
  • Montreal, Quebec
  • Quebec City, Quebec
  • Region of Waterloo, Ontario
  • Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia

More than 200 communities, large and small, from across Canada responded to the Challenge, submitting innovative ideas that have the potential to improve their communities in areas such as reconciliation, protection of Indigenous language and culture, food security, better education and health for youth and children, and affordable housing.

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Summaries of the finalists’ applications, along with their Challenge Statements and the evaluation criteria are posted on the Impact Canada website. Each finalist will receive a grant of $250,000 to further develop their innovative ideas into final proposals that outline all design, planning, privacy, data protection and project management components of their plans. The four winners will be announced in spring 2019.

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