Durham Region recognized for enterprise excellence and innovation in IT by CIO Awards Canada

Whitby, Ontario – The Regional Municipality of Durham’s myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service project is one of the winners of the CIO Awards Canada 2022. These awards are granted each year by International Data Corporation (IDC) Canada and CIO who recognize the tech world’s most innovative organizations and accomplished leaders.

2022 is the first year for this popular Awards Program in Canada where CIO Awards Canada have recognized innovative Canadian tech projects and teams.

The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service makes it easy to find out about elected officials, Regional facilities, waste pick up, the nearest bus stop, and even when to expect the next Durham Region Transit bus. The service is available through the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa Marketplace.

Durham Region is focused on improving the customer experience through an omnichannel approach. This means there are many different ways that residents can get the information they need about Regional services, including in person or by web, emails, phone calls, social media and more. The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service is a critical part of achieving that vision.

CIO Awards Canada award winners will be celebrated at the CIO’s Future of Digital Innovation Summit & Awards Canada, a virtual conference taking place on November 29 and 30, 2022.

Residents can take advantage of the 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."

To learn more about the service and other innovative projects, visit durham.ca/IntelligentCommunities.

Quotes

“Our goal is for residents to have easy access to information they need about Regional services. The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service is one of the innovative ways we are making that possible. We’re proud to be recognized for our work, and we thank IDC Canada and CIO for the award.”

– Elaine Baxter-Trahair, Chief Administrative Officer

“The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service is an example of our forward-thinking approach to connecting residents to the information they need. We are using technology to not only deliver high-quality services and value, but also to inspire future opportunities and achievements.”

– Kalyan Chakravarthy, Chief Information Officer

Quick facts

• Residents can now access municipal elections information through the
  myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service, available through the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa Marketplace.
• The myDurham 311 Smart Home Device Voice Service was recently named a
  winner of the 2022 Excellence in Municipal Systems Award by the Municipal Information Systems Association (Ontario).
• Durham Region was the first to launch smart home device voice service in Canada.

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For media requests, please contact CorporateCommunications@durham.ca.