Durham Region announced as finalist for two TECHNATION Ingenious Awards

Whitby, Ontario – The Regional Municipality of Durham’s myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service project has been announced as a finalist for a TECHNATION Ingenious Award. The award recognizes Canadian technology talent and initiatives designed to improve performance, introduce new services, solve programs, and grow businesses using technology. The Region is a finalist in the IoT award category for the project, launched in 2021. The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service uses smart home devices, like Alexa and Google, to provide information about Regional services.  

In addition, Kalyan Chakravarthy, Durham Region’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), is a finalist in the Canadian Public Sector Disruptor award category. This award celebrates a Canadian Public Sector leader and change agent whose demonstrated leadership actions has disrupted and/or significantly changed how government at any level does business with citizens and/or corporations and has impacted national or regional prosperity through technology implementation.

The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service makes it easy to access information about elected officials, Regional facilities, waste pick up, the nearest bus stop, and even when to expect the next Durham Region Transit bus.

The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service is part of a Region-wide initiative to enhance customer service. The goal is to make it easy for customers to connect with Durham Region in the way that works best for them—whether that’s by phone, email, online, or in person.

Residents can take advantage of myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service through Google by saying, “Hey Google, talk to myDurham 311." If using Alexa, they can enable the service in the Alexa app settings and then say “Alexa, open myDurham 311."

Award winners will be announced on November 30, 2022, at the virtual Ingenious Awards event. To learn more about myDurham 311 and other innovative projects, visit durham.ca/IntelligentCommunities.

Quotes:

“We want to make it easier for residents to access information about Regional services. The myDurham 311 voice service leverages tools that people use every day to get information they want, when they want it. We’re proud to be a finalist for this award—and of our Chief Information Officer—and we thank TECHNATION for recognizing our work.

– Elaine Baxter-Trahair, Chief Administrative Officer

“The myDurham 311 initiative is about enhancing the customer service experience across all channels for Durham Region residents. I’m honoured to be named a finalist for the Public Sector Disruptor award, although our digital transformation project is truly a team effort. It’s wonderful to be able to showcase everyone’s hard work.”

– Kalyan Chakravarthy, Durham Region Chief Information Officer

Quick facts:

• The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service has already been recognized as a winner of the 2022 Excellence in Municipal Systems Award by the Municipal Information Systems Association (Ontario) and the CIO Awards Canada 2022 by International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada and CIO.
• Durham Region was the first regional municipality in Canada to bring Regional services to smart home devices.

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