GovCamp Canada events, inspired by the ChangeCamp events developed by Mark Kuznicki, are an excellent way to get involved in the Canadian Government 2.0 scene. Meetings are open to the public (but sign up early because there may be a waiting list) and currently held in Toronto and Ottawa.
These casual, citizen-led open community gatherings are sponsored by Microsoft Corp., but the company maintains a very low-key presence. Attendees include an assortment of government leaders, public servants, citizens and developers.
More on Open Data: 25 sites and apps for open government The recent
GovCamp Toronto event had roughly 25 tables, each with its own host and topic, discussing themes like social Web tools, open data, government transformation and public engagement. People are encouraged to float around from table to table throughout the evening as they see fit.
Steven Green, director of marketing and communications at the Government of Ontario Cabinet Office, hosted a table at a recent GovCamp Toronto event. His “government can’t do it all” theme tried to pinpoint what government should tackle first. Green launched the discussion by posing the question to everyone at the table: “If you had to pick one – social media or open data – what would it be?”