Coquitlam is one of the world’s Smart21 communities for a third year.
Last month, at the end of the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) in Taiwan, the organization announced five Canadian municipalities, counties and regions had made the annual list as a digital leader:
- Coquitlam, British Columbia
- Durham Region, Ontario
- Fredericton, New Brunswick
- Grey County, Ontario
- Markham, Ontario
“We are seeing an acceleration in the development of cities and an emphasis on economic development working in conjunction with more robust digital infrastructure and a strategic focus on serving citizens and building trust in a divided world,” said ICF co-founder Louis Zacharilla in a news release.
In its decision, the ICF singled out Coquitlam for its QNet (Coquitlam Optical Network Corporation) program for providing broadband services to residents and businesses. As of 2020, QNet was linked to 112 buildings in the city.
It also highlighted Coquitlam Public Library and its technology learning plus the city’s technology roadmap and its efforts to be a green city through climate action policies.
Coquitlam also earned the Smart21 title in 2021 and 2023.
Smart21 communities
The other Smart21 winners for 2024 are:
- Assaí, Paraná, Brazil
- Coral Gables, Florida, USA
- Defiance, Ohio, USA
- Doral, Florida, USA
- Fairfield/Jefferson County, Iowa, USA
- Greater Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- Hilliard, Ohio, USA
- Izmir, Turkey
- Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain
- Pingtung County, Taiwan
- Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil
- Taitung County, Taiwan
- Warner Robins, Georgia, USA
- Woodstock, Georgia, USA
- Yunlin County, Taiwan
To learn more about Coquitlam’s digital outreach, you can visit the city's website.
