It’s official, Airdrie is one of 20 finalists for the Government of Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge. 

The announcement was made earlier today (June 1st) by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Conference in Halifax.

Vice-Chair of the Airdrie and Area Health Benefits Co-Op, Don Bell, speaks on Airdrie being one of 20 finalists for the Smart Cities Challenge.

The City’s Smart Cities application was spearheaded by the Airdrie and Area Health Benefits Cooperative who desire to create Canada’s Healthiest Community through various projects and initiatives including an app.

But as Chief Technological Officer Dave Jackson explains, it’ll involve more than that.

“It’s not just this smart community, we’re going to also be doing Blue Zones, we’re going to have this cooperative, we’re going to work together. It’s all in one and we’re going to do it together.”

Airdrie is competing with 9 other communities to receive one of two $10 million prizes to help fund and launch their projects.

Councillor Al Jones expects that Airdrie will win one of those prizes as their application could have a national impact in the future.

“Ours has the potential to be shared over and over and over again across the country. It isn’t just a strategy that would only serve this community. If we’re successful in implementing this in this community, we have the ability to change how things are done across this country.”

As being one of 20 finalists in three different categories, each community receives $250,000 in funding to help complete their applications.

“You have that 250-thousand to put together a much more detailed plan,” says Jackson, “How are we going to actually make this happen. What resources are we going to require if there’s infrastructure, how are we going to spend it. It’s all to make a second round of application so a much more detailed application by the end of this year and then they’d announce the winners in Spring.”

The other communities with Airdrie in the $10 million category are:

- The Pas, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Kelsey, MB

- Cote Saint-Luc, QC

- Nunavut Communities

- Fredericton, NB

- Parkland Brazeau, Yellowhead Counties, AB

- Richmond, BC

- Guelph, ON

- Saskatoon, SK

- Victoria, BC

More info on the Smart Cities finalist can be found on their official website.

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