Connection is what makes our neighbourhoods strong. But a lot of connection happens online and this can be hard for some people to access. We want to make lives better by helping everyone get the tools, skills, and internet they need to get online the way they want. The Digital Equity Strategy gives The City a way to help people be more connected.

We talked to services and community groups in Calgary to  learn:

• what support was missing
• what could be made better
• what is working well

This helped us learn what “digital divide” means for Calgary and work with more people to think about what we can do to help the community. These thoughts became a list of actions that were rated by importance to the community. 

Read what was said

We talked to groups of people that are more likely to have a hard time connecting online. We also talked to people we saw at libraries, in the park, and waiting for the train. We asked people what made it hard for them to connect online, what they liked to do online, and what they wanted to do but couldn’t. This helped us learn what people are having trouble with and where we can help. 

Read what we learned

Read what was said word for word

In 2022, The City worked with The University of Calgary to see what other cities around the world were saying about the digital divide. We looked at:

• What other cities found made it hard to connect online
• What has been done to help people connect
• What groups are having a harder time
• What actions Calgary should take first to make connecting easier
• How Calgary is doing compared to other cities

You can read the paper here.

There will be an academic version of this research paper published with The Journal of Medical Internet Research.

The City worked with a group of people in our neighbourhoods to pick what to do to make Calgary an easier place for everyone to connect, live, work, play, and grow. These people work at places like the library, our schools, and support groups.

You can learn more about this group here: Terms of Reference.

If you want share how you feel connecting online or learn more about what we are doing, you can talk to Erin Ruttan.

211 search tool

211 helps you find the support you need in your neighbourhood. You can use 211 by phone, text message, chat or the website. To make it easier to find help connecting online, Public Computer and Internet Access has been added to the Food and Basic Needs group. This tells you where you can go to use a computer or the internet. You can also find classes to help you connect online .

Digital Literacy Audit Tool

With a bit of help from the Digital Equity Team, Calgary Learns made a Digital
Literacy Audit Tool. This tool helps  organizations to support all levels of digital skills and access by showing what they are doing well  and what might be hard for people.  Try the tool.

Center for Social Impact Technology

The Centre for Social Impact Technology is a place for people of many backgrounds and histories to come together to talk, learn, and take actions so technology growth supports social growth. This space helps to build partnerships, trust, and connections. Learn more here.

User Testing Pilot for Digital Services  

In 2023, three City groups worked with Calgary’s IncluCity to test how well people are able to use some of our online services. By asking members of the community to do certain things, we were able to learn the challenges people can have when trying to use services. This project was funded through the Equity in Service Delivery Fund which makes it easier for people to use The City's services.

AHA! Affordable Hardware Access

This program gives older City computers to Calgarians who need them. People who got computers were referred to us by community supports and were on the Fair Entry program. We work with Technology Helps to help people learn to use their new computer and give them tech support. 

Beyond our city

Open North Case Study: In early 2022, the Digital Equity Team was part of the Open North Case Study on Digital Equity actions in Canada. You can read about it here. 

Civic Tech Saint John’s: In late 2022 the Digital Equity Team talked to Civic Tech Saint Johns about how we work with our community to understand issues. We also talked about our steps for building a digital equity strategy.