Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
11.4 Case Study: ontario, Canada
The Canadian landscape, broadly speaking, provides evidence for both optimism
and concern in terms of digital inclusiveness. More than one half of Canadians
in 2012 went online via a wireless handheld device, whereas nearly two thirds of
Canadians are regular users of social media (with a growing proposition of such
usage happening via mobile devices) (Statistics Canada, 2013). In addition, and
as noted in the Introduction, the uptake of mobile banking in Canada has been
stronger than initial levels of online banking nearly two decades ago, with a healthy
proportion of mobile device users making use of mobile channels and applications.
On the other hand, there remains a notable divide between the roughly one half
of the population owning smart phones or tablets and those without such devices. In
one 2013 survey, nearly one quarter of Canadians indicated that they never shop online
(Infantry, 2013) a figure rising to 31% in a more comprehensive 2012 Internet usage
survey published by Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada, 2013). Statistics Canada also
reports that 17% of Canadians did not go online for any reason in 2012, with persist-
ing digital divides in Internet usage correlated to income, education, and urban-rural
dwellings (Roy, 2014b).
As with the examples reviewed above, notably the British and Danish efforts,
a critical issue for all governments in these settings is the degree to which mobility
can serve as an accelerated platform for those previously offline to undertake more
of their informational and transitional service offerings online—via mobile devices.
A related issue is the degree to which mobile devices and interrelated platforms
and strategies for Gov 2.0 can serve as the basis for a more holistic and integrated
paradigm of citizen-centric services encompassing not only information and trans-
actions but also a wider array of support and developmental services.
Within such a context, as noted in the Introduction, Ontario has seen three impor-
tant initiatives in recent years that can provide insight as to whether digital inclusion
is effectively recognized and addressed today and how it might be pursued going for-
ward. As previously noted, these three initiatives include the following: first, a 2013
audit of ServiceOntario by the Provincial Auditor General; second, a 2012 external
review of social assistance delivery in Ontario (the Commission for the Review of
Social Assistance in Ontario, henceforth referred to as the Commission or the Review
Commission); and third, a 2012 research study conducted independently in the aca-
demic sector with some financial support by the Province (Taking Ontario Mobile).
The latter initiative provides the most relevant starting point because it most
directly addresses the themes of mobility and inclusion. The final report of this
research initiative defines inclusion as “the removal of barriers to mobile access
experienced by residents of Ontario due to socioeconomic factors, lack of mobile
infrastructure and unmet functional needs (e.g., a screen magnifier for users with
low vision)” (Diamond & Roberts, 2012, p. XXI). The report further notes that
“barriers due to markets, costs and functions mean that the groups most likely
to be excluded from the rapidly evolving mobile marketplace are the same groups
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