Windsor-Essex needs your help to win $10M-prize
Windsor and Essex county are looking for some bright ideas.
It's part of the SMART Cities Challenge, a national competition asking municipalities to find a way to improve their cities. The winning proposal gets a $10-million award.
On Friday, the region announced its bid for the money under the name of SMART Windsor Essex, a collaboration of 11 community organizations.
The ideas come from the public and will be judged by a local committee before being submitted to the competition.
The group Connecting Windsor-Essex is leading the project.
"We need to come up with a challenge, whether it be employment or healthcare, and we need to come up with a way to improve that," said Bob Campbell, CEO of Connecting Windsor-Essex.
The challenge is funded by Infrastructure Canada with a view to improving the quality of life for residents using innovation, data and technology.
"We're trying to use smart technology in order to improve the conditions in our region for our residents," said Campbell.
The group has identified three areas of focus in Windsor-Essex: poverty, health and employment.
Campbell said they will be asking the public for ideas on how technology could be creatively applied to these issues at community events in the coming weeks.
"We really want to reach out to the stakeholders of Windsor-Essex," said Patti France, president of St. Clair College, who is chair of the board of directors for Connecting Windsor-Essex. "There's a wealth of intelligence and ideas here. We're keeping it wide open to say that no idea is a bad idea."
People can also submit ideas online by visiting the SMART Windsor-Essex website.
The proposal must identify one challenge and its solution in 50 words or less. The deadline for the proposal is April 24.
Judges will narrow the group down to seven finalists who will then further develop their plans for the final challenge.
There are two $10-million prizes available.
