The City of Estevan will proceed with its initiatives proposed for the Smart Cities challenge, even though its bid for a national competition came up short.
The 20 national finalists for the Smart Cities Challenge were announced June 1 during the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Convention in Halifax. Smart Cities is a competition-based approach that encourages communities to come up with innovative solutions to their most pressing issues.
Finalists were selected for their potential to improve communities in areas such as reconciliation, protection of Indigenous language and culture, food security, affordable housing, and education and health for youth and children.
Dwight “Fitz” Bramble, the city’s economic development officer, spearheaded Estevan’s bid for the competition. He pointed out that 199 bids were received from across the country, but only three of them were from Saskatchewan: Estevan, Saskatoon and Regina.
Saskatoon was the lone finalist from this province, and will receive $250,000 for its ideas.
“We had an opportunity, and we pursued this opportunity, and there will be other opportunities again in the future, because this Smart Cities Challenge initiative is not a one and done initiative,” said Bramble.
Estevan’s bid aimed to use technology to enhance economic opportunities. For example, the city proposed using drone technology on farms for agri-processing, and establishing an agri-processing facility in partnership with the Southeast College.
The drone technology could be used to transport produce from the farms to the facility.
There are also opportunities with technology in a central North American transportation corridor that will be used for autonomous vehicles.
“If and when that becomes a reality, you’re going to need charging stations, maintenance facilities and things like that for these vehicles,” said Bramble.
The technology could also be used for electric vehicles.
“I think it’s a very realistic and a very possible initiative, and even though we weren’t selected as a finalist, that doesn’t mean it isn’t something we cannot pursue,” said Bramble.
“It’s a project that I think is going to have far-reaching implications, and whether we like it or not, the … reality of these types of technologies is already with us.”
The city’s economic development committee has identified five priority areas – agri-processing, geothermal energy, greenhouse technology, manufacturing and warehousing – to focus on for investment in the foreseeable future, and the initiatives in the Smart Cities initiative fit in those categories.
There is also the opportunity to make smaller opportunities out of some of the initiatives.
The application for the Smart Cities Challenge required a lot of work, but he had the support from city council, the Estevan Chamber of Commerce and the economic development board. It took months to put it together, because there were 20 questions, and each question required lengthy answers.
“You have to talk about how prepared the city is to implement this project, and who some of the partners are that we intend to work with. How have we engaged the community?”
A number of the finalists in Smart Cities were collaborative projects with multiple municipalities. Bramble said the city approached a couple other communities early on, and he believes a greater effort could have been made to involve other communities in the southeast.
“Of course, other communities would have to want to collaborate with us,” said Bramble. “We make the proposal and go forward and try to get them involved, but if they’re not interested, then there’s really nothing we can do for it.”
Bramble is currently working on an investment action plan, and he hopes to receive input and involvement from the community. Economic development has to involve everybody, he said, and that’s a message that he has been preaching to the community.
“Hopefully what I do will be reflective of that community involvement,” said Bramble.
