The Municipality of Chatham-Kent, in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, received the gold medal in the Citizen-centric Inter-jurisdictional category of the first annual CGR (Canadian Government Review) e-Awards.  The CGR e-Awards offer independent, third-party recognition of some of Canada’s best inter-jurisdictional initiatives and salute those projects that demonstrate cooperation and synergy among two or more levels of government in providing service delivery to citizens. 

The Municipality was notified that it was an award finalist in January of this year.   A special awards ceremony was held on February 15th in Ottawa, which recognized and identified the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in each of six award categories.  The Office of Consumer Affairs, Industry Canada received the silver medal in the citizen-centric category for the creation of the Canadian Consumer Information Gateway.  The bronze award was presented to the Province of Saskatchewan for the “ExpressAddress” project which offers residents a convenient and secure way to update their addresses when they move.

The judging panel was comprised of Assistant Deputy Ministers and Executive Directors at senior levels of Government from across Canada.  Entries were assessed on the following criteria and were expected to demonstrate several of the following qualities:  innovative features; relevance or significance as a model for the broader public sector; measurable enhancement for quality and excellence in service for the benefit of citizens; appropriate allocation of risks, responsibilities and returns between partners; effective use of financing, cost and time savings and efficiency improvements; improved organization effectiveness and customer satisfaction. 

The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT), who provided funding for the project through the Connect Ontario: Partnering for Smart Communities program, nominated the Community of Chatham-Kent Portal for the award.  The nomination form focused on the overall information delivery aspect for the entire Municipality, highlighting the following electronic services: Provincial Offences Court Ticket Payment; Interactive Mapping; Business and Service Directories; Health, Wellness and Fitness Magazine; Community Events Calendar; RecConnect - Recreation Program and Facility Browsing Service; Library Catalogue; Site Selector; Identity Management System; Patient Appointment Request Service; Patient Appointment Request Service.

“I am pleased that, as a team, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent has won a gold medal at the first annual CGR e-Awards,” said David Kennedy, Director of Entrepreneurship Branch, MEDT.  “This investment helps bring small businesses and residents into today’s digital economy and promote the Chatham-Kent region to a local and global market place.”

Sharon Pfaff, Chief Information Officer at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance said, “We are pleased to be a partner in bringing innovative I.T. solutions to Chatham-Kent residents, and we’re proud to share in this national recognition with our colleagues at the Municipality and funding partners at MEDT.

"It is through the great working relationships between the municipal departments and organizations such as the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, which have made this success possible" quotes Helen McLaren, Director, Information Technology Services.

For further information please contact:

Information Technology Services
315 King Street West, P.O. Box 640
Chatham, ON    N7M 5K8
Phone: (519) 360-1998  
Email: CKits@chatham-kent.ca