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that would disproportionately benefit from the increased access to public services,
economic inclusion, jobs and productivity that these new technologies will offer”
(Diamond & Roberts, 2012, p. XXI).
An essential point that bears noting here is that unlike many of the initiatives
reviewed in the previous section, this Ontario study is separate from the provin-
cial government (albeit one undertaken with some public sector financial support).
Consequently, there are no direct ties between the directions and reforms espoused by
the researchers and governmental action, and there has been no explicit response by
the Government of Ontario in terms of endorsing a specific mobility action plan with
a dimension that might be reasonably associated with digital inclusion and the main
challenges sketched out above. With respect to economic and technological develop-
ment, the Province has undertaken key initiatives to bolster research and industry
capacities, often underscoring employment and innovation benefits in doing so, but
the obvious risk in doing so is an accentuation of the digital divide that already exists.
The shifting landscape of online service delivery is also telling in this regard, as
a 2013 audit of the Public Auditor of Ontario revealed that the Province has fallen
well short of its targets in fostering the usage of online channels (and correspond-
ing reduction in usage of traditional delivery channels, namely, telephony and in-
person facilities). The following findings are indicative of this unmet potential in
terms of potential efficiency savings:
In the 2012/2013 fiscal year, only 30% of ServiceOntario transactions
were done online, well short of ServiceOntario's forecast of 55% to
60%. Further savings could be achieved if ServiceOntario had an effec-
tive strategy to encourage people to switch to doing business online
instead of in person. For instance, we estimated that ServiceOntario's
operating costs would decrease by $2.9 million annually if 50% more
license plate sticker renewals were done online. (Auditor General of
Ontario, 2013, p. 249)
here is a close relationship here between the Ontario situation and the British
analysis of their own digital gap—and what the British Government perceives as an
opportunity to leverage mobility as a means of better reaching proportions of the popu-
lace that regularly use mobile devices but have yet to access government services online
(particularly when many low-income and otherwise marginalized groups are rapidly
adopting mobile devices even while demonstrating limited interest in and usage of
traditional PC-based online channels and resources). The key point here with respect
to the twin British efforts, Digital by Default and Assisted Digital, is recognition of
the need for explicit mechanisms and strategies to target such groups (thereby also
recognizing the rising mobile adoption rates are likely to be insufficient in this regard).
Because this audit of the Ontario Government's flagship service delivery entity
(ServiceOntario) was focused more on assessing what has been done than what
might be done in the future, mobility is a theme completely unaddressed by the
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