For all the whinging about complacency lately, this week has produced not one but two important citizen-led public projects aimed to bring transparency and accessibility to government. Earlier this week we saw the launch of OpenParliament.ca. Today, the launch of Datadotgc.ca.  In the words of its founder, it was created because "as citizens, we want our governments to open up and share the... [More]

Here's a line you don't read too often: "it's the best sort of policy story: one where the policy works, the good guys win, and the public interest is served." The line is from what looks to be a great story behind the story of how the British government made its data freely available online. Written by Prospect Magazine's James Crabtree, it's about how Tim Berners-Lee, one of the founders of ... [More]

A few things to highlight for those inclined to things of an international or foreign policy ilk: 1. Foreign Policy Camp is scheduled for Monday, November 30th, hosted by a terrific set of Canadian organizations. If you're in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto or Montreal, you can participate by registering here. The Mark has a special page dedicated to the deliberations. 2. The second issue of ... [More]

I attended two talks last week that helped me think about how Samara can help create opportunities for Canadians to meaningfully contribute, in small, fun and accessible ways, to issues that matter to them. Friends know this has been a long-time interest of mine, something I've reflected on for years and regret not writing more about. If you're interested, here are the highlights on presentati... [More]

Because I promised,and you already know I'm slow, here's a dispatch from the investigative journalism conference I attended in Berekely, CA in early April. Overall, it was a good couple of days that largely showcased various investigative stories on corruption and the journalists who uncovered them (this Frontline doc was the feature). It was a clubby affair of many long-serving journalists from ... [More]