TPL and McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy in Digital Society present: Revolutionizing a Rural Digital Economic Strategy.

From Fitbits for chickens to space cans for science, this event explores how technology is transforming rural life in China and whether these dynamics are similarly reflected in Canada with Xiaowei Wang, author of Blockchain Chicken Farm.

We’ll also discuss the multiple dimensions of the digital divide in Canada, with a focus on better connecting Indigenous and rural communities and a review of current government actions in this regard. We will conclude by considering what policymakers can do to grow the digital economy in rural and remote communities.

The Big Data and Tech in Our Backyards series explores how technology trends and Big Tech companies are reshaping our increasingly digital society.

Hosted by Vass Bednar, Executive Director of the Master of Public Policy Program at McMaster University, this monthly series invites authors, journalists and tech workers to take on complex, topical issues related to data collection and product marketing and apply them to a Canadian context.

Silicon Values: Free Speech, Democracy and Big Tech

Predict + Surveil: Data, Discretion, and the Future of Policing

Big Tech, Monopolies and Imagining Alternatives

Watching, Listening, and Learning: Feeding the Marketing Algorithms

Toronto Public Library is committed to accessibility. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca

Revolutionizing the Rural