Kitchener's Commitment to Open Data

The City of Kitchener is driven by a commitment to uphold accountability and transparency, both of which are core principles embedded within the framework of Open Government. The city's vision for Open Government is centred on establishing a governmental entity that is transparent and answerable to its constituents and provides avenues for meaningful public engagement through innovation, technology, and collaborative efforts.

This commitment extends to fostering a culture within the city that ensures a comprehensive understanding of accountability and transparency principles among Council members, staff, and citizens. The aim is to collectively uphold these standards of excellence in governance, thereby enhancing public trust and confidence.

To manifest the ideals of accountability and transparency, this policy outlines a series of commitments designed to ensure:

  • The default operational mode of the city is openness while respecting legal, financial, legislative, and privacy constraints.
  • Council decision-making processes are characterized by openness and clarity.
  • The city maintains a robust accountability framework for the delivery and quality of its services.

The policy begins by defining two fundamental terms:

Accountability: Encompassing the city's adherence to defined rules and guidelines that facilitate a transparent explanation of its actions to the public.

Transparency: Signifying the availability of accurate, timely, and accessible city information, along with the open nature of decisions for public scrutiny and discourse.

The policy's scope encompasses all employees and members of Council, recognizing the diverse range of roles and responsibilities across the organization.

Key components of the policy are structured around the themes of Accountability and Transparency:

Accountability Components:

  • Clearly delineating the roles and responsibilities of the city, other levels of government, and stakeholders to ensure transparent service provision and equitable outcomes.
  • Aligning actions with well-defined expectations fostering clarity in the roles of both service recipients and the city.
  • Maintaining a balanced perspective between expectations and practical capacities, acknowledging the dynamic nature of public expectations and the city's resources.
  • Facilitating clear, credible, and timely reporting on undertaken actions, reflecting accomplishments and areas warranting improvement.
  • Enabling regular reviews and adjustments, reinforcing a commitment to adapt in response to outcomes and feedback.

Transparency Components:

  • Ensuring accessibility of city information within legal boundaries, allowing citizens to engage with and influence city activities.
  • Delivering information in clear, uncomplicated language to promote ease of understanding.
  • Periodically updating and proactively providing public-interest information to ensure relevance and alignment with the evolving concept of an 'open by default' city.

The policy sets out specific commitments and actions showing the city's dedication to accountability and transparency. These cover areas like Council meetings, budgets, public services, buying goods and services, handling conflicts of interest, keeping records, sharing open data, and involving citizens. The policy also explains who does what and who's in charge of certain roles.

The policy undergoes periodic review to ensure its continued relevance, accuracy, and effectiveness in promoting accountability and transparency, aligning with the city's broader Open Government Framework.

The City’s Open Government Framework can be read here.