In today’s world, the expectation is that everyone has access to a phone, a laptop, and the internet. Everything from government resources and education to social opportunities are online and digital.
“Many people don’t know that there are hundreds of thousands of people [without access or easy access],” says Let’s Get Together (LGT) founder Alison Canning. “If you don’t have a computer, you are at a severe disadvantage, and moving forward, that gap is going to widen if we don’t address this issue now.”
This past summer, LGT soft-launched the Canada Digital Success Dashboard, a geographic information system (GIS) map that will track tech needs and collection centres across Canada. They believe this tool will reshape how Canada understands and addresses tech equity, giving policymakers, schools and community leaders a visual representation of the gaps in real time.
At its core, the initiative is about making the invisible, visible and the impossible, possible.
“One of the big reasons why we wanted to have a map was to raise awareness about the problem,” says Canning, adding that it’s also intended to guide donations and help governments align their strategies with actual needs. “Our goal is to solve the tech equity problem, and so by 2030, or sooner, we’d like to see every person in Canada who needs a computer have a chance to own one,”
The dashboard first took shape in Peel Region, where a diverse and fastest-growing population makes digital inequities especially visible. But the vision has always been national.
“The reason to call it the Canada Digital Success Dashboard is to communicate that we have cross-Canada ambitions,” says LGT Software Engineer Prathamesh Patel. “It also encourages everyone to be a part of the story.”
“It also encourages everyone to be a part of the story.”
Nicolas Iovu, the Student Software Engineering Lead of the team, noted that Peel’s diversity and rapid growth increase disparities, especially for newcomers and low-income families. According to the map, 72 per cent of applicants earn household incomes under $20,000, with 29 per cent identifying themselves as low income.
The dashboard directly highlights collection points where Canadians can drop off e-waste for refurbishment and also displays data on where the need for devices is greatest. Users can hover over any federal riding to see how many applicants are waiting for support.
The choice to visualize through federal ridings was intentional. It allows the data to be practical for all levels of government without singling out individual neighbourhoods. Iovu says this allows for the data to serve as an opportunity, not a stigma.
But the dashboard is just one part of a larger strategy needed to tackle the digital divide. This is a problem with many facets and many interpretations. However, it always starts with access.
“It’s very hard for people to function well in society, to be active citizens, to be politically involved, to be community involved, without technology,” says Anabel Quan-Haase, a professor and sociologist who focuses on the impacts of technology on society.
According to the Digital Success Dashboard, at least 34 per cent of their current applicants use Ontario Works, and many others are on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Single-parent families, those living in transitional housing or shelters and students are some of those most in need.
“I know students who just bought their first laptop, in the second, third, fourth year of college,” says Patel. “Not because they did not know they needed a laptop but because it was not possible for them to acquire one.”
Many universities and high schools rely near-solely on online learning tools to provide course materials, class updates and assignment information.
“I don’t print anything anymore. In the past, I would print the syllabus, I would print readings, I would print assignments. Now, I post everything,” says Quan-Haase. For those competing with siblings or parents for a computer or unable to afford one at all, it’s difficult to keep up with class.
She says the problem extends beyond that. With how quickly technology becomes outdated, often planned by companies to drive up sales, updating or operating on outdated operating systems can be a challenge for students who often don’t have a stable income.
Internet access is also a problem. According to Dr. Janette Hughes, a professor at Ontario Tech University and Canada Research Chair in Technology and Pedagogy, only 67 per cent of rural households have adequate access, which drops to only half in indigenous communities.
While free internet and devices may be available at libraries or schools, they’re not always open – and not always equal.
“Schools are supposed to be the great equalizer. But even within the school system, there are schools that are more advantaged than others,” she says, adding that there is a direct correlation between access and academic performance. “Schools in well-connected areas have greater opportunities to integrate online resources and digital tools, while those in underserved areas might struggle to provide even basic digital experiences for students.”
Hughes says that if students don’t have reliable access to the internet or devices at home, the divide between those who do and those who don’t will continue to widen. She says this starts in elementary school and gets worse as students move up in education and out into the world. From reduced academic achievement to reduced career prospects, access enables equality.
“Every hand counts and no hand is too small.”
“One of the early interactions I had with the internet was watching TED Videos. And without a laptop and internet connection and TED videos, I don’t think I would have a lot of my ideas,” says Patel. “We see the digital divide, not just as not having a system, but also the first degree, second degree and third degree consequences.”
While the dashboard serves as an essential tool for mapping Canada’s technological needs, it also exposes the deeper systemic inequities that continue to shape access to technology across the country.
Canning says that right now, solving the problem of tech equity is left to nonprofits and charities in the community.
“We just don’t have the capability, tools or funding,” she says. “We need to lean on the government, corporations and the public-private sectors to help solve the problem, and that’s what this map is going to do, and that’s why the data is there.”
Knowing the issue is in place is often the first step to solving it. The dashboard tracks not only individual but organizational needs. Canning says there are not enough collection sites, and matching the need to those gaps will help both bring technology to those who need it and reduce the environmental impacts of e-waste that’s been improperly disposed of.
“We want to bring everyone together into our Equity in Education Collective, and anyone who joins that collective will be supporting us,” says Canning. “We are at a crisis, and we don’t need to look any further than our own country and sometimes our own province, to know there is a problem. But we need everybody on board, and this, this data, this map, will be available to everyone.”
She says they won’t be stopping here. The Digital Success Dashboard is a tool built for everyone to be able to join and unite their efforts, resources and direction towards bridging the digital divide collectively.
“It’s a global problem, but very much solvable,” she says. “Every hand counts and no hand is too small, and that really matters in this situation when we’re talking about our economy, our future and our planet.”
Would you like to learn how to refurbish a computer and/or sponsor a computer for someone in the community? Do you have electronic-waste or computers to donate? Do you know of someone who needs a computer? Visit letsgettogether.ca or email us at info@letsgettogether.ca to join the collective and help make learning equitable and education accessible for all!