Civic Tech Toronto is a vibrant and diverse community of Torontonians engaged in understanding and creating solutions for civic challenges through technology, design, and other innovative means. https://civictech.ca/feed.xml 2026-08-04T10:26:58-04:00 Civic Tech Torontohi@civictech.ca https://civictech.ca/assets/images/favicon.ico © 2026 Civic Tech Toronto Jekyll https://civictech.ca/events/554/ 2026-08-04T00:00:00-04:00 2026-08-04T00:00:00-04:00 Natasha Fisherhttps://civictech.ca/people/Natasha%20Fisher/

What is a queer archive (and what is an archive, for that matter), why are they important, and how do they preserve history? Join Natasha Fisher, Digital Archivist at The ArQuives (Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Archives), for an accessible introduction to queer and digital archives. We will discuss how digital preservation helps future-proof digital materials for long-term preservation and access.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_554.png" alt="How The ArQuives is preserving queer history online" /></p><p>What is a queer archive (and what is an archive, for that matter), why are they important, and how do they preserve history? Join Natasha Fisher, Digital Archivist at <a href="https://arquives.ca/">The ArQuives</a> (Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Archives), for an accessible introduction to queer and digital archives. We will discuss how digital preservation helps future-proof digital materials for long-term preservation and access.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Natasha%20Fisher/">Natasha Fisher</a> — Natasha is the Digital Archivist at The ArQuives: Canada’s LGBTQ2+ Archive and holds an MISt from McGill University. Her primary interests include digital preservation, web archiving, and community archives.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: August 4, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-554-how-1jsxld">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/553/ 2026-07-28T00:00:00-04:00 2026-07-28T00:00:00-04:00 Deborah Tienhttps://civictech.ca/people/Deborah%20Tien/

Let’s talk about and experiment with how tech can support your neighborhood to flourish. For years, Relational Tech Project (RTP) co-founder Deborah Tien has been learning from and supporting people stewarding their neighborhoods, and is now crafting infrastructure to encourage locality-to-locality spreading of ideas, insights, and tools.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_553.png" alt="The Relational Tech Project" /></p><p>Let’s talk about and experiment with how tech can support your neighborhood to flourish. For years, <a href="https://relationaltechproject.org/">Relational Tech Project</a> (RTP) co-founder Deborah Tien has been learning from and supporting people stewarding their neighborhoods, and is now crafting infrastructure to encourage locality-to-locality spreading of ideas, insights, and tools.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Deborah%20Tien/">Deborah Tien</a> — Born and raised a lil over the border in Michigan - grew up eating lunch in Windsor every month or so. Formally educated in the USA, UK, and China. Worked mostly in Tanzania. Now living in rural Washington state with a collective of humans and cedar trees.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: July 28, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-553-how-f7gsy3">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/552/ 2026-07-21T00:00:00-04:00 2026-07-21T00:00:00-04:00 Luke Lihttps://civictech.ca/people/Luke%20Li/

TransitBunny RT turns GTFS-realtime data into an interactive view of how transit service is actually operating throughout the day. The presentation will discuss how GTFS-realtime can be used to identify bottlenecks and irregularity in transit performance.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_552.png" alt="Want to flag to TTC where to improve service? Here&#39;s the data to support it" /></p><p><a href="https://transitbunnyrt.onrender.com/">TransitBunny RT</a> turns GTFS-realtime data into an interactive view of how transit service is actually operating throughout the day. The presentation will discuss how GTFS-realtime can be used to identify bottlenecks and irregularity in transit performance.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Luke%20Li/">Luke Li</a> — Luke Li is a transit planning professional with more than 10 years of experience in traffic operations, transit operation, network planning, and service design. Luke has contributed to the planning of several rapid transit projects across North America.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: July 21, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-552-want-k7wtlr">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/551/ 2026-07-14T00:00:00-04:00 2026-07-14T00:00:00-04:00 Ahmed Nadarhttps://civictech.ca/people/Ahmed%20Nadar/

After driving past the same pothole for months, Ahmed Nadar built a tool that turns one photo into a report the city can act on. This is the story of SolveTO, the open data that was there the whole time, and what one reporting platform across every Canadian city could look like.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_551.png" alt="SolveTO: From one pothole, to a reporting platform for every Canadian city" /></p><p>After driving past the same pothole for months, Ahmed Nadar built a tool that turns one photo into a report the city can act on. This is the story of <a href="https://solveto.ca/">SolveTO</a>, the open data that was there the whole time, and what one reporting platform across every Canadian city could look like.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Ahmed%20Nadar/">Ahmed Nadar</a> — Ahmed Nadar is a Toronto resident and the solo builder of SolveTO, a civic reporting tool that turns a photo or a few spoken words into a report routed to the city and your councillor. He launched it in Toronto in February 2026 and expanded to Mississauga in May. SolveTO runs on open data the city already publishes, over a million pieces of public infrastructure on one map. He’s now chasing the harder question: what would it take to run one platform across every Canadian city.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: July 14, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-551-solveto-i4v3p9">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/550/ 2026-07-07T00:00:00-04:00 2026-07-07T00:00:00-04:00 Rodney Chanhttps://civictech.ca/people/Rodney%20Chan/ Francesca Policarpiohttps://civictech.ca/people/Francesca%20Policarpio/

How did the Church Street Pedestrianization Pilot come to be? We talk about our inspirations, the bureaucratic process it took to get approved, the challenges we faced, and the opportunities for street’s future resurfacing and the city’s wider pedestrian policy framework.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_550.png" alt="The Road towards the Church Street Pedestrianization Pilot: Inspirations, Challenges, and Future Opportunities" /></p><p>How did the Church Street Pedestrianization Pilot come to be? We talk about our inspirations, the bureaucratic process it took to get approved, the challenges we faced, and the opportunities for street’s future resurfacing and the city’s wider pedestrian policy framework.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Rodney%20Chan/">Rodney Chan</a> — Rodney is currently a fourth-year urban planning student at the University of Waterloo and has worked co-op terms in transportation and transit planning. Originally from Toronto, he rode public transit since he was young and became increasingly frustrated, leading him into advocacy for better transit and safer streets. He co-leads TriTAG (Tri-Cities Transport Action Group) and co-hosts Dwell Time, a transit podcast.</p> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Francesca%20Policarpio/">Francesca Policarpio</a> — Francesca Policarpio is a political organizer with an Urban Studies background from the University of Toronto, dedicated to making Toronto more affordable and vibrant. As Advisor for Stakeholder and Constituency Relations to Councillor Chris Moise, she merges municipal policy with grassroots advocacy. Ultimately, Francesca is committed to shaping a liveable Toronto that prioritizes dynamic public spaces and community-first growth.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: July 7, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-550-the-grgaj6">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/549/ 2026-06-30T00:00:00-04:00 2026-06-30T00:00:00-04:00 Civic Tech Toronto

This will be a relaxed social gathering for the civic tech community, friends and loved ones.Think snacks, drinks, blankets, and light park games.Bring some food to share, and hang out with your civic tech pals!We’ll provide soft drinks, games, napkins etc.Walking distance from the subway – RSVP for the exact location.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_549.png" alt="In place of a regular event, we&#39;re doing a summer Potluck Hangout!" /></p><p>This will be a relaxed social gathering for the civic tech community, friends and loved ones.</p> <p>Think snacks, drinks, blankets, and light park games.</p> <p>Bring some food to share, and hang out with your civic tech pals!</p> <p>We’ll provide soft drinks, games, napkins etc.</p> <p>Walking distance from the subway – RSVP for the exact location.</p> <h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: June 30, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Bickford%20Park/">Bickford Park</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-549-canada-loecxa">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/548/ 2026-06-23T00:00:00-04:00 2026-06-23T00:00:00-04:00 Civic Tech Toronto

Worried about layoffs? Forced to adopt top-down AI usage mandates and tokenmax on a leaderboard? You are not alone.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_548.png" alt="One Year of Tech Workers Coalition Canada" /></p><p>Worried about layoffs? Forced to adopt top-down AI usage mandates and tokenmax on a leaderboard? You are not alone.</p> <h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: June 23, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-548-one-6silor">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/547/ 2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00 2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00 Emily Gemmellhttps://civictech.ca/people/Emily%20Gemmell/

How well do urban neighbourhoods support young children’s outdoor free play — and why does it matter? Dr. Emily Gemmell discusses the development of an urban playability index for young children, how neighbourhood-level scores vary across Canada’s 35 largest cities and what this means for children’s health and development.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_547.png" alt="The Playability Gap: Measuring the Child-Friendliness of Urban Neighbourhoods" /></p><p>How well do urban neighbourhoods support young children’s outdoor free play — and why does it matter? Dr. Emily Gemmell discusses the development of an urban playability index for young children, how neighbourhood-level scores vary across Canada’s 35 largest cities and what this means for children’s health and development.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Emily%20Gemmell/">Emily Gemmell</a> — Emily is a post-doctoral environmental health researcher at the University of British Columbia. Her work focuses on how urban environments impact health across the lifespan.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: June 16, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-547-the-pu0cd5">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/546/ 2026-06-09T00:00:00-04:00 2026-06-09T00:00:00-04:00 Civic Tech Toronto

This week we’ll hear quick updates from four different projects that are Civic Tech Toronto meetup regulars: Landlord and Tenant Board data explorer BikeSpace Technologists for Democracy Civic DashboardEach team will do lightning talks to share what they’ve been working on, challenges and successes!

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_546.png" alt="Project Updates" /></p><p>This week we’ll hear quick updates from four different projects that are Civic Tech Toronto meetup regulars:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/JMak22/LTB-project">Landlord and Tenant Board data explorer</a></li> <li><a href="https://bikespace.ca/">BikeSpace</a></li> <li><a href="https://techfordemocracy.ca/">Technologists for Democracy</a></li> <li><a href="https://civicdashboard.ca/">Civic Dashboard</a></li> </ul> <p>Each team will do lightning talks to share what they’ve been working on, challenges and successes!</p> <h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: June 9, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-546-project-ablyg6">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/545/ 2026-06-02T00:00:00-04:00 2026-06-02T00:00:00-04:00 Krizia Fernandohttps://civictech.ca/people/Krizia%20Fernando/ Kris Rubianohttps://civictech.ca/people/Kris%20Rubiano/

The Smol Gardens project is an approach to building civic tech grounded in continuous accountability to affected communities, transparency about tradeoffs, and openness to critique to strengthen community agency and democratic self-governance. In the presentation, we’ll share the current state of AI-enabled web design, a self-auditing impact framework, and small language models as a good alternative to LLMs.In the hands-on breakout workshop, participants will apply the framework by vibecoding a simple AI application using a small language model and evaluating its impact in three core areas: human and societal impact, future systems, and environmental responsibility. This workshop is for designers, builders and civic technologists who are already using AI tools in their work but feel caught between the pressure to move fast and the need to build responsibly.Smol Gardens is an initiative by the Femmecubator team, introduced at BetaNYC’s UnSchool of Data 2026 conference, and pitched as part of the Open Civic Tech initiative.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_545.png" alt="Smol Gardens: Accountable AI for Civic Tech" /></p><p><a href="https://opencivic.tech/projects/smol-gardens">The Smol Gardens project</a> is an approach to building civic tech grounded in continuous accountability to affected communities, transparency about tradeoffs, and openness to critique to strengthen community agency and democratic self-governance. In the presentation, we’ll share the current state of AI-enabled web design, a self-auditing impact framework, and small language models as a good alternative to LLMs.</p> <p>In the hands-on breakout workshop, participants will apply the framework by vibecoding a simple AI application using a small language model and evaluating its impact in three core areas: human and societal impact, future systems, and environmental responsibility. This workshop is for designers, builders and civic technologists who are already using AI tools in their work but feel caught between the pressure to move fast and the need to build responsibly.</p> <p>Smol Gardens is an initiative by the Femmecubator team, introduced at <a href="https://www.beta.nyc/">BetaNYC</a>’s <a href="https://www.beta.nyc/event/unschool-of-data/">UnSchool of Data</a> 2026 conference, and pitched as part of the Open Civic Tech initiative.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Krizia%20Fernando/">Krizia Fernando</a> — Krizia Fernando is a product design lead at Evernorth. She’s worked in education, nonprofits and IoT, building toolkits and systems that help product teams work more inclusively. As co-founder of Femmecubator, a nonprofit supporting BIPOC Women in Tech, Krizia designs open source products and teaches workshops on emerging technologies.</p> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Kris%20Rubiano/">Kris Rubiano</a> — Kris Rubiano is a project manager specializing in civic technology and machine learning. From design to data, they guide the evolution of LLM platforms and community initiatives to ensure technology remains an inclusive resource rather than a barrier.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: June 2, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-545-smol-bv41d6">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/544/ 2026-05-26T00:00:00-04:00 2026-05-26T00:00:00-04:00 Sasha Ivanovhttps://civictech.ca/people/Sasha%20Ivanov/

As the 2025 tariffs sparked a nationwide Buy Canadian movement, Maple Scan climbed to #4 on the App Store and helped thousands of Canadians make more informed shopping decisions. With over 700,000 products scanned, this talk tells the story of how a weekend project became a viral civic-tech app featured on major news networks, powered by community feedback, volunteers, and Canadians across the country working together to make product information more transparent.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_544.png" alt="From Tariffs to Transparency: The Story of Maple Scan" /></p><p>As the 2025 tariffs sparked a nationwide Buy Canadian movement, Maple Scan climbed to #4 on the App Store and helped thousands of Canadians make more informed shopping decisions. With over 700,000 products scanned, this talk tells the story of how a weekend project became a viral civic-tech app featured on major news networks, powered by community feedback, volunteers, and Canadians across the country working together to make product information more transparent.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Sasha%20Ivanov/">Sasha Ivanov</a> — Sasha Ivanov is an entrepreneur and computer science researcher shaping the future of human interaction through next-generation AI and XR technologies. He previously taught entrepreneurial app development at the University of Calgary and built immersive prototypes at Meta Reality Labs, exploring how AI-enabled headsets could seamlessly integrate into everyday life.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: May 26, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Metro%20Hall/">Metro Hall</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/543/ 2026-05-19T00:00:00-04:00 2026-05-19T00:00:00-04:00 Bisola-Mariamhttps://civictech.ca/people/Bisola-Mariam/

The housing system is not broken because there are not enough listings. It is broken because there is no intelligence layer between the people who need housing and the people who have it.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_543.png" alt="The Future of Housing is Intelligence, Not Listings, Not Showings" /></p><p>The housing system is not broken because there are not enough listings. It is broken because there is no intelligence layer between the people who need housing and the people who have it.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Bisola-Mariam/">Bisola-Mariam</a> — Bisola-Mariam or BM is the co-founder &amp; CEO of Gida. Her work is at the intersection of housing, technology and social justice.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: May 19, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Toronto%20City%20Hall/">Toronto City Hall</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-543-the-dh5n06">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC-NnsFaVGk">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/542/ 2026-05-12T00:00:00-04:00 2026-05-12T00:00:00-04:00 Ann Chenhttps://civictech.ca/people/Ann%20Chen/

A simple goal of finding a place to play badminton turned into a deeper exploration of how difficult it can be to use public information in real life. In this talk, Ann shares how she used Toronto’s open data to build a drop-in programs finder, and what she learned about turning a real-world problem into a practical, user-friendly tool that helps people save time, especially when life gets busy.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_542.png" alt="Using Open Data to Find Drop-in Programs in Toronto (Without Opening 10 Tabs)" /></p><p>A simple goal of finding a place to play badminton turned into a deeper exploration of how difficult it can be to use public information in real life. In this talk, Ann shares how she used <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/data-research-maps/open-data/">Toronto’s open data</a> to build a drop-in programs finder, and what she learned about turning a real-world problem into a practical, user-friendly tool that helps people save time, especially when life gets busy.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Ann%20Chen/">Ann Chen</a> — Ann Chen is a software engineer who enjoys building practical tools that make everyday life easier. With a background in engineering and project management in the energy sector, she focuses on turning real-world problems into simple, data-driven solutions. Her recent project focuses on helping people quickly find drop-in recreation programs using open data.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: May 12, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Metro%20Hall/">Metro Hall</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-542-using-2vakqi">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaXVoljKFBQ">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/541/ 2026-05-05T00:00:00-04:00 2026-05-05T00:00:00-04:00 Raviteja Katipallyhttps://civictech.ca/people/Raviteja%20Katipally/

Raviteja Katipally built an AI-assisted analytics platform using public City of Toronto 311 service request data to uncover complaint patterns, trend shifts, and neighborhood-level operational signals. In this talk, he’ll walk through how rapid AI-driven development can turn open municipal data into tools that help residents, civic groups, and policymakers explore city service patterns in new ways.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_541.png" alt="Reading the City: AI Meets Toronto 311" /></p><p>Raviteja Katipally built an AI-assisted analytics platform using public City of Toronto 311 service request data to uncover complaint patterns, trend shifts, and neighborhood-level operational signals. In this talk, he’ll walk through how rapid AI-driven development can turn open municipal data into tools that help residents, civic groups, and policymakers explore city service patterns in new ways.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Raviteja%20Katipally/">Raviteja Katipally</a> — Raviteja Katipally is a Site Leader at Olympia Tile with a background in operations leadership, logistics, and data-driven execution, including prior experience at Amazon. He builds AI-powered operational and civic analytics tools, focused on turning raw data into practical decision-making insights.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: May 5, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Metro%20Hall/">Metro Hall</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-541-reading-hckp5s">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL6ZZvdSR4I">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/540/ 2026-04-28T00:00:00-04:00 2026-04-28T00:00:00-04:00 Terra Loire Gillespiehttps://civictech.ca/people/Terra%20Loire%20Gillespie/

Math is malleable, data is deceptive, numbers are not as real as you think they are.From government budgets, to vanity metrics, people use numbers to underscore their point. It can be terribly persuasive, it can also be terribly manipulative. How do you decipher a statistic someone shares? If you are a researcher or communicator, how do you ensure you don’t misrepresent findings? In this talk Terra Loire Gillespie will bring you through some of these dilemmas, and bring you behind the scenes of some of their most recent projects.[Archivist’s note 07/13/26: Unfortunately, this meetup was not recorded.]

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_540.png" alt="Numbers Are Not Real" /></p><p>Math is malleable, data is deceptive, numbers are not as real as you think they are.</p> <p>From government budgets, to vanity metrics, people use numbers to underscore their point. It can be terribly persuasive, it can also be terribly manipulative. How do you decipher a statistic someone shares? If you are a researcher or communicator, how do you ensure you don’t misrepresent findings? In this talk Terra Loire Gillespie will bring you through some of these dilemmas, and bring you behind the scenes of some of their most recent projects.</p> <p>[Archivist’s note 07/13/26: Unfortunately, this meetup was not recorded.]</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Terra%20Loire%20Gillespie/">Terra Loire Gillespie</a> — Terra is the principal of Terra Etc, a professor at Seneca, and occasional journalist. A community-driven digital strategist + researcher helping movements, nonprofits, and coalitions do “all things digital” – from discovery to reporting – in ways that grow community power, not just conversions.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: April 28, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Alphawave%20Semi/">Alphawave Semi</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-540-numbers-3onf9n">Event page</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/539/ 2026-04-21T00:00:00-04:00 2026-04-21T00:00:00-04:00 Poe Han Thar Kyawhttps://civictech.ca/people/Poe%20Han%20Thar%20Kyaw/

Governments across the world are making AI governance decisions daily but they’ve prioritized different values, mechanisms, and tradeoffs. Comparing the approaches, we’ll look at how these differences materialize on the ground, what each government gets right and wrong, and where Canada sits in all of this.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_539.png" alt="How Governments Actually Govern AI" /></p><p>Governments across the world are making AI governance decisions daily but they’ve prioritized different values, mechanisms, and tradeoffs. Comparing the approaches, we’ll look at how these differences materialize on the ground, what each government gets right and wrong, and where Canada sits in all of this.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Poe%20Han%20Thar%20Kyaw/">Poe Han Thar Kyaw</a> — Poe works at the intersection of geopolitics and technology. With work spanning 15+ countries, she has advised governments, major tech companies, and the UN on foreign policy, AI governance, and the messier parts of platform regulation.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: April 21, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Alphawave%20Semi/">Alphawave Semi</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-539-how-gebnuu">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIcVYvpTl7s">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/538/ 2026-04-14T00:00:00-04:00 2026-04-14T00:00:00-04:00 Eugene Chenhttps://civictech.ca/people/Eugene%20Chen/

What happens when a campaign tool is too expensive, too outdated, and too frustrating to use? You build your own. We’ll talk through the journey, from initial discussions to app prototyping, testing, and live use to cover the 500K+ addresses (via open data) in Edmonton. Also learnings, including recent adapting to a working example for Toronto (which we’ll walk through), and the goal of helping candidates better understand their constituents.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_538.png" alt="Volunteer-Built: Journey of a Doorknocking App during+for a Successful Mayoral Race (plus TO/ON adaption)" /></p><p>What happens when a campaign tool is too expensive, too outdated, and too frustrating to use? You build your own. We’ll talk through the journey, from initial discussions to app prototyping, testing, and live use to cover the 500K+ addresses (via open data) in Edmonton. Also learnings, including recent adapting to a working example for Toronto (which we’ll walk through), and the goal of helping candidates better understand their constituents.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Eugene%20Chen/">Eugene Chen</a> — A campaign tech lead for successive, successful municipal campaigns since 2017, Eugene is a data-visualization focused software engineer whose work has been referenced in media outlets like the CBC, NYT, and NPR. Most recently working with the World Bank, Imagine Canada, and Code for Canada, he loves open data (is a co-founder of the Canadian Open Data Society), loves creating (ideaowl.com), and will be in Toronto (and Waterloo) later this + next week.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: April 14, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Alphawave%20Semi/">Alphawave Semi</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-538-volunteerbuilt-a72oz3">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OA0HPu1BbU">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/537/ 2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00 2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00 Wency Leunghttps://civictech.ca/people/Wency%20Leung/

As Ontario’s health system has come under serious strain, health authorities–from the Health Ministry to overburdened hospitals–have encouraged Ontarians to turn to Health811, a service where they can get free, 24/7 health advice from a nurse by phone or online. But reporting by The Local magazine found average monthly wait times to speak with a Health811 nurse were as high as 11 hours, raising questions about the service’s utility and patient outcomes.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_537.png" alt="Digging into data: how local journalism counters eroding government transparency" /></p><p>As Ontario’s health system has come under serious strain, health authorities–from the Health Ministry to overburdened hospitals–have encouraged Ontarians to turn to Health811, a service where they can get free, 24/7 health advice from a nurse by phone or online. But reporting by The Local magazine found average monthly wait times to speak with a Health811 nurse were as high as 11 hours, raising questions about the service’s utility and patient outcomes.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Wency%20Leung/">Wency Leung</a> — Wency Leung is a senior reporter for The Local, an award-winning independent news magazine focusing on the Greater Toronto Area.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: April 7, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Alphawave%20Semi/">Alphawave Semi</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-537-digging-sdz6ix">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=991psl3OFO0">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/536/ 2026-03-31T00:00:00-04:00 2026-03-31T00:00:00-04:00 Ilya Kreyninhttps://civictech.ca/people/Ilya%20Kreynin/

Civic tech projects are not startups. They’re unique, more akin to community organizations, and have much to learn from organizing and its principles! Let’s build a story and language for how this space develops its projects and people, using recent examples from the civic technology space in Toronto.This session will be live and interactive for both in-person and online participants via a first-ever live application of the Polis Reaction Canvas!

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_536.png" alt="Not A Startup - Organizing For Civic Technology" /></p><p>Civic tech projects are not startups. They’re unique, more akin to community organizations, and have much to learn from organizing and its principles! Let’s build a story and language for how this space develops its projects and people, using recent examples from the civic technology space in Toronto.</p> <p>This session will be live and interactive for both in-person and online participants via a first-ever live application of the Polis Reaction Canvas!</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Ilya%20Kreynin/">Ilya Kreynin</a> — Ilya Kreynin is a pro-social engineer and designer working towards collective human flourishing, with a particular penchant for Toronto.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: March 31, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-536-not-75dmnb">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI70wtkUGTI">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/535/ 2026-03-24T00:00:00-04:00 2026-03-24T00:00:00-04:00 Ghazaleh mohsenihttps://civictech.ca/people/Ghazaleh%20Mohseni/

We present a data-driven framework for mitigating bus bunching and gapping using real-time transit data, machine learning, and optimization models. The system supports proactive headway management by evaluating and recommending operational control strategies that improve service regularity and network performance.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_535.png" alt="Headway Management Using Real-Time Transit Data" /></p><p>We present a data-driven framework for mitigating bus bunching and gapping using real-time transit data, machine learning, and optimization models. The system supports proactive headway management by evaluating and recommending operational control strategies that improve service regularity and network performance.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Ghazaleh%20Mohseni/">Ghazaleh mohseni</a> — Ghazaleh Mohseni is the R&amp;D Director at the Interactive-OR, where she leads the design and development of decision-support systems for urban mobility and transportation operations. Her work combines optimization, machine learning, and large-scale data to build practical tools that help cities improve network design, reliability, and operational efficiency.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: March 24, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-535-headway-usnbxs">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMzj4CKxi10">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/534/ 2026-03-17T00:00:00-04:00 2026-03-17T00:00:00-04:00 Andrew Bacchushttps://civictech.ca/people/Andrew%20Bacchus/

Andrew Bacchus will introduce his early-stage startup Invisible Carbon, a solar-punk approach to sustainability, showcasing civic tech for nature projects for Toronto Open Data Awards, Toronto Climate Week, and the City of Toronto Climate Action Champion program.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_534.png" alt="Civic Tech for Nature: Wildlife, eDNA, and Invisible Carbon" /></p><p>Andrew Bacchus will introduce his early-stage startup Invisible Carbon, a solar-punk approach to sustainability, showcasing civic tech for nature projects for Toronto Open Data Awards, Toronto Climate Week, and the City of Toronto Climate Action Champion program.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Andrew%20Bacchus/">Andrew Bacchus</a> — From beautiful Scarborough, Andrew has worked professionally in economic development across several cities and international markets. He is currently incubating his early-stage startup Invisible Carbon with the Sam Ibrahim Centre for Inclusive Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Leadership. Andrew is a City of Toronto Climate Action Champion, and placed second in the Toronto Climate Week hackathon, as well as honourable mention in the recent Toronto Open Data Awards.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: March 17, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-534-civic-l6642r">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XToPcU0a12c">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/533/ 2026-03-10T00:00:00-04:00 2026-03-10T00:00:00-04:00 Oben Humhttps://civictech.ca/people/Oben%20Hum/

Learn about Oben Hum’s experiences making Busferret, a data-efficient TTC tracker using Toronto’s Open Data!

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_533.png" alt="Ferreting out real-time bus locations with ease" /></p><p>Learn about Oben Hum’s experiences making Busferret, a data-efficient TTC tracker using Toronto’s Open Data!</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Oben%20Hum/">Oben Hum</a> — A recreational programmer and tech enjoyer. When not on the computer, he likes camping and long distance running.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: March 10, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-533-ferreting-cd2oa8">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avi-zzi9G2I">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/532/ 2026-03-03T00:00:00-05:00 2026-03-03T00:00:00-05:00 Anna Hhttps://civictech.ca/people/Anna%20H/ Sameer Ahttps://civictech.ca/people/Sameer%20A/ Beatrix Mhttps://civictech.ca/people/Beatrix%20M/ Neela Mhttps://civictech.ca/people/Neela%20M/ Dana Hhttps://civictech.ca/people/Dana%20H/

A group of researchers at ClimateFast have documented and analyzed every single climate-related voting records of City of Toronto councillors since 2018 to present. What was the result? Come hear about the Climate Voting Records Toronto project and the research findings!

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_532.png" alt="How is your local councillor voting on climate? - Toronto City Council Report Card" /></p><p>A group of researchers at ClimateFast have documented and analyzed every single climate-related voting records of City of Toronto councillors since 2018 to present. What was the result? Come hear about the Climate Voting Records Toronto project and the research findings!</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Anna%20H/">Anna H</a> — Anna a climate volunteer, researcher, and advocate at ClimateFast as part of the Climate Voting Records Toronto project. In her free time, she likes to go on walks, read, and make crafts.</p> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Sameer%20A/">Sameer A</a></p> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Beatrix%20M/">Beatrix M</a></p> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Neela%20M/">Neela M</a></p> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Dana%20H/">Dana H</a></p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: March 3, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-532-how-gha2ar">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8rUvuKYlE4">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/531/ 2026-02-24T00:00:00-05:00 2026-02-24T00:00:00-05:00 Daniel Liadskyhttps://civictech.ca/people/Daniel%20Liadsky/

recfinderto.ca started as a workplace experiment: a practical way to explore how AI‑assisted coding tools could support real development workflows. In this talk, Daniel Liadsky shares how experimenting with AI tools without a roadmap led to rapid prototyping and a deeper understanding of where they genuinely accelerate work (and where they don’t). It’s a behind‑the‑scenes look at adopting AI in a real‑world context and how a simple hands‑on trial turned into something genuinely useful.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_531.png" alt="A Happy Accident: Toronto Drop-in Recreation Finder" /></p><p>recfinderto.ca started as a workplace experiment: a practical way to explore how AI‑assisted coding tools could support real development workflows. In this talk, Daniel Liadsky shares how experimenting with AI tools without a roadmap led to rapid prototyping and a deeper understanding of where they genuinely accelerate work (and where they don’t). It’s a behind‑the‑scenes look at adopting AI in a real‑world context and how a simple hands‑on trial turned into something genuinely useful.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Daniel%20Liadsky/">Daniel Liadsky</a> — Daniel Liadsky is the Managing Director for Purpose Analytics, a non-profit helping to build a data-informed non-profit sector. He formerly held front-line and management roles in Toronto’s community services sector where he repeatedly couldn’t resist organizing and automating his organizations’ data and workflows.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: February 24, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-531-a-happy-9zucvm">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kESB5wMmzNA">Watch the recording</a></p> https://civictech.ca/events/530/ 2026-02-17T00:00:00-05:00 2026-02-17T00:00:00-05:00 Deneille Macashttps://civictech.ca/people/Deneille%20Macas/

Predatory behaviour in Ontario’s rental market is sustained by a systemic knowledge gap that keeps the less informed vulnerable. Discover how Toronto Home Zone, the city’s most active and trusted community rental space of 140k members, has been turned into a data-driven tool to enforce radical transparency and drive accountability in a system designed to favour insider interests and institutional gatekeepers.

<p><img src="https://civictech.ca/archives/images/events/hacknight_530.png" alt="Radical Transparency: Forging Power Equity in Toronto’s Rental Market" /></p><p>Predatory behaviour in Ontario’s rental market is sustained by a systemic knowledge gap that keeps the less informed vulnerable. Discover how Toronto Home Zone, the city’s most active and trusted community rental space of 140k members, has been turned into a data-driven tool to enforce radical transparency and drive accountability in a system designed to favour insider interests and institutional gatekeepers.</p> <h2>Speakers</h2> <p><a href="https://civictech.ca/people/Deneille%20Macas/">Deneille Macas</a> — Deneille Macas, the lead Admin of Toronto Home Zone and owner of the Toronto Housing Society. Educational technologist, spreadsheet enthusiast, retired Habbo resident.</p><h2>Details</h2> <p>Date: February 17, 2026</p><p>Location: <a href="https://civictech.ca/venues/Myhal%20Centre%20for%20Engineering%20and%20Entrepreneurship/">Myhal Centre for Engineering and Entrepreneurship</a></p><p><a href="https://guild.host/events/civic-meetup-530-radical-nqy2qc">Event page</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7LtXOlzzFU">Watch the recording</a></p>