CITY OF MISSISSAUGA
196 with Cisco Canada the City has been able to build out an extensive Wi-Fi network in all City libraries , community centers , arenas , marinas and many outdoor locations such parks , Celebration Square , and four small business areas where district Wi-Fi has been provided .
Being a connected and engaged City is an important objective and in 2018 over 8mn hours of free public Wi-Fi was used across the City . Providing this access in so many locations across the City is one way of tackling the digital divide and providing opportunity for those who might not otherwise have had this access . In May of 2017 , the City of Mississauga was the first City in Canada to become a virtual campus . The City partnered with CANARIE and Eduroam to provide a gateway to over 70,000 postsecondary institutions from around the world for visiting students and exchange students who access its Wi-Fi network . In the first year there were over 1mn international students using the service , with over half of them from Europe . “ There ’ s a term out there that Wi-Fi is the new oxygen . This really demonstrates that providing connectivity is a city service . So , the digital divide is something that we really pay attention to ,” states Slack .
Mississauga has certainly demonstrated that it is a Smart City leader in Canada and beyond , but the journey is not over yet ; in fact ,
“THE CLOUD ALLOWED US TO QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY PROVIDE ACCESS TO OPERATIONAL DATA AN D EMPLOYEE INFORMATION ”
— Shawn Slack , CIO , City of Mississauga
FEBRUARY 2019