The Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group and the Langley Township will partner up for the Canada Smart Cities Challenge.
The challenge is a nationwide competition that encourages cities and indigenous communities to share their best ideas to improve the lives of their residents through innovation, data, and connected technology.
Ideas will become reality for the winning application, with a $10 million prize awarded to implement the proposed projects.
Over the next six weeks, both Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group, on behalf of the Kwantlen First Nation, and the Township will seek input from the public for ways that technology can be used to connect the community’s past to the future, to share, relate and educate generations to come on local indigenous language, history, traditions, and culture, and the ongoing strong connections that exist in the region.
“It has always been important for us to share our history and ongoing connection to our lands and resources in the community and beyond,” said Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group president and Kwantlen First Nation Councillor Tumia Knott. “We continue to make efforts to educate and share our connections, values and traditions in new and engaging ways. The Smart Cities Challenge represents the use of technology as a vehicle to teach, to engage existing and new audiences about Kwantlen’s culture and history, as well as other local indigenous communities. The project represents a continuation of our valued and growing working relationship with the Township of Langley.”
“Smart Cities Challenge is a positive and exciting way to bring our two communities together towards common goals,” said Township Mayor Jack Froese. “New technologies will help us reconcile the past, bring stories to life, and establish a mutually sustainable future for generations to come. The timing is right, and Fort Langley, as the birthplace of British Columbia, is the right community to be setting an example for all of Canada.”
With one of Kwantlen First Nation’s reserve lands immediately adjacent to Fort Langley, the application will focus specifically on those two communities. However, it is intended that the projects submitted as part of the final application for the Smart Cities Challenge will be carefully selected so that they can be expanded to include other areas of the municipality in the future.
It is also hoped that projects identified through the public engagement process may also be positioned to further complement proposed projects and amenities in Fort Langley, as detailed at tol.ca/flp.
For an overview of the project, more links, and to submit your idea on how the Kwantlen and Township can use technology to connect the past to the future, please visit tol.ca/smartcities.