Wellbeing Toronto website takes step in opening more data to local taxpayers

Cities across Canada have grappled with efforts to move data from the file cabinets of city hall to the computers of the people.

A new municipal venture called Wellbeing Toronto has marked a new step in that direction, since it will allow users to research statistics about 140 different neighbourhoods, and compare how they stack up.

Information collected by Statistics Canada, local school boards and the city itself was compiled to give residents a sense of how their streets compare to other parts of Toronto. The access could certainly transform how politicians decide to spend their money.

On the other hand, while the data could assist potential home buyers who want to settle around more trees or transit, detail about the number of car crashes or high school dropouts in one specific area might negatively affect property values.

Toronto had previously identified 13 "priority neighbourhoods" that were most in need of municipal investment. Critics claimed the designation stigmatized those parts of the city.

The new website is seen as a way to level that playing field and bring attention to areas still being overlooked, particularly in the so-called "inner suburbs" where aging high-rise apartments are the norm.

While not technically an open data project, since it makes the information accessible only through a specific framework, Wellbeing Toronto does reflect a trend to use technology to provide greater access to existing public information.

Major municipalities have joined Toronto in recent years to explore what kind of applications can be created with details previously relegated to thick print directories or microfiche catalogues. But budgetary concerns are often blamed for a continued lack of accessible resources.

While a source like Wellbeing Toronto can provide a gateway to details about what transpired in the city up until this point, for example, many residents remain frustrated by their inability to find convenient information about what's being done with municipal taxes today.