The local tech community, members of the general public, and all other interested parties are being asked for their input as the City of Toronto shapes the future of free public Wi-Fi services in the city.

A series of public consultations are being held, an online survey is now open, and other mechanisms are being used to generate discussion, solicit input, and decide what actions the city should take to help Torontonians get online.

Among the questions that need answering: How is free public Wi-Fi used in Toronto?  Which spaces should have access to free public Wi-Fi? What data safety and security measures need to be in place?

“I encourage everyone to participate in the upcoming consultations to help shape and expand the free public Wi-Fi strategy,” said City of Toronto Chief Technology Officer Sonia Brar when announcing the consultation schedule. “The City of Toronto is committed to including the voice of the public in the work that it does. I look forward to listening to the input that we receive and bringing this into the continued development of the free public Wi-Fi program.”

In-person consultations begin today, Tuesday, June 4, at Driftwood Community Recreation Centre, in North York, with another in-person session Thursday, June 13, at Heron Park Community Centre, in Scarborough. Virtual consultations will be held Tuesday, June 18.

There’s also an online survey anyone can complete and submit by June 21.

In addition to public consultations, the City is working with community organizations across Toronto to facilitate in-depth discussions with people with lived experience in the digital divide.

ConnectTO is the municipal program launched in 2021 to coordinate resources and address the need for digital services by underserved Torontonians. But ideas for and implementations of a city-wide Wi-Fi service strategy go back at least to 2006, with various attempts by different administrations to expand the services over the intervening years.

Today, the city offers free public Wi-Fi at more than 100 locations through the ConnectTO Program. So far, the locations – buildings, community centres, arenas, and other indoor spaces – have been selected and prioritized to bridge what’s been identified as Toronto’s digital divide. Wider access for all residents and visitors is being considered, and new locations for Wi-Fi service provision are being reviewed.

ConnectTO also sponsors new research with various higher educational institution partners, where researchers, analysts and students provide insight into the realities of the digital divide, the socio-economic impacts that divide has, and best ways to apply human and technical resources to mitigate those impacts and provide valuable online access to all.

It was back in 2006 when Toronto operated its first free Wi-Fi service, with then Mayor David Miller launching what was called One Zone, a giant Wi-Fi hot spot that sought to blanket the downtown core – Bloor to Front, Bathurst to Parliament. Free to use at first, after six months flat rate fees were applied, but the service was not able to financially support itself.

Later, in 2009, Toronto city council revisited the idea of public Wi-Fi, with then Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong voicing support for the concept, but not gathering enough support to see it through various political and economic hurdles.

Then, in 2021, Mayor John Tory rekindled the idea yet again with the launch of ConnectTO, which has been able to implement early key steps in the City’s digital strategy while overseeing a 100 or so Wi-Fi access points in operation.

 

Now, in 2024 as part of the Expanded Free Public Wi-Fi Strategy, some proposed actions the City is considering and asking for input on include but are not limited to:

• Providing Wi-Fi at all publicly accessible City owned/operated buildings (i.e. civic centres, resource centres, recreation centres).
• Providing free Wi-Fi and devices to access internet in shelters and warming/cooling centres.
• Providing Wi-Fi in all City-owned/operated long-term care homes, and expand community librarian program in partnership with Toronto Public Library to offer service at all Wi-Fi locations on a rotational basis.

Plans under consideration also include the development of online resources and a one-stop web page that offers online help, guidance, troubleshooting and support, as well as mechanisms to boost awareness and participation in the program. Likewise, knowledge and training on how to protect personal information and identifying data while online should be part of the program.

There are commitments to quality of service, but upload and download speeds that meet user expectation can be adjusted, and an ongoing survey on user satisfaction should be conducted and published.

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