Ken Coates of University of Saskatchewan and MLI

As the COVID-19 Pandemic demonstrated, almost all Indigenous and remote communities suffered from serious infrastructure deficits.  With limited or unreliable Internet, poor quality electricity, and weak health care services, these communities were uniquely vulnerable to the disease and the economic and social challenges that accompanied the pandemic.  But Canadians already knew that Indigenous and remote communities are poorly served and largely lift out of the so-called "innovation economy."  It is time to develop a strategy for bringing technology-enabled opportunities to Indigenous and remote communities.  This webinar presents a model for digitally-enabled Indigenous and remote communities, explores the barriers to implementing this "inversion" of Canadian innovation and that contemplates strategies for addressing quality of life issues in collaboration with residents and local governments.

Biography:

Ken Coates is Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan.  His work focuses on the development of strategies to promote 21st century well-being in small town, rural, Indigenous and remote Canada. Ken's major project examines the potential contributions -- and negative impacts -- of emerging technologies on rural and remote communities.

Address:Saskatchewan, Canada