01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

Connecting people, information and services

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

Contents

Why the GNWT needs a Service Innovation Strategy .......................................................................................................................2

How the Strategy can make a difference ................................................................................................................................................3

A message from the Minister of Finance ................................................................................................................................................4

A message from the Deputy Ministers ....................................................................................................................................................5

A brief history of the Strategy .......................................................................................................................................................................6

Where we are today: Assessing our successes and challenges ....................................................................................................7

Bridging the distance: How technology is improving access to health-care across the NWT .......................................8

Technology at your service: How the Department of Transportation is using technology ..........................................10

Powering schools: Using technology to help teachers track and communicate student progress .........................12

Mapping a course for change ....................................................................................................................................................................14

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

Like all modern governments, the GNWT receives and manages a large of amount of complex

information on a daily basis. A comprehensive and integrated Service Innovation Strategy (SIS)

is critical to the government’s overall performance, from our ability to plan and make good decisions

to the way we engage and serve our residents. Technology is a key enabler of this strategy.

Why the GNWT needs a Service Innovation Strategy

The Vision:Improved service delivery to NWT residents

2

The Mission:• Information technology that enables

innovative program and service delivery

• Improved access to transactional services for residents from their home communities

• Efficient and effective internal government operations

The Goals:• Expanded access to programs and

services

• Improved efficiency and effectiveness of internal operations, including use of more government-wide solutions

• Improved service delivery, decision making, analysis and planning

• Consistent and realistic technology standards

• Enhanced IM/IS/IT knowledge and skills

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

There are few jurisdictions in the world where the need for technologies that can connect information, people and services is clearer than it is right here in the NWT. The potential benefits of technology-assisted approaches to program and service delivery, will have concrete benefits for government operations and residents.

Deputy Ministers have made service delivery a priority and have identified the Service Innovation Strategy as a key tool to improve delivery of GNWT programs and services. Through technology, we will:

• Improve public access to electronic services

• Improve internal processes in support of better service delivery overall

• Modernize how information systems are managed overall

The Strategy speaks not only to the need for technological innovation; it calls for building on our strengths and successes. This publication has provided a glimpse of how GNWT departments are using technology right now to connect, communicate and engage with residents.

The Service Innovation Strategy is about more than e-government; it is about finding

the right mix of technologies, systems and processes for our territory, our government

employees and our residents. E-service options will complement—not replace—

existing options, allowing residents to choose the method that best suits them.

3

How the Strategy can make a difference

The Northwest Territories has many valuable resources, both natural and human. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that in order to make the most out of these resources, we must successfully harness the potential of another critical asset: information.

The Service Innovation Strategy provides a focus for our efforts and a way to work together. This is not a question of technology for technology’s sake. We must be purposeful and considered in our approach. Notably, we must balance the desire to be effective and efficient with the need to respect the security, privacy and protection of those we serve.

I do not underestimate the challenge that will come with integrating new systems and approaches in an organization as large and complex as ours. The sheer size of our territory, distribution of our population and isolated nature of many of our communities present unique challenges that our government must contend with every day. Nowhere is the opportunity for technology to connect people and services clearer and the potential benefits more real than it is right here in the Northwest Territories.

In the pages that follow, you will get a snapshot of where we stand right now and a glimpse of where we are headed. The Chief Information Officer has the mandate to lead this important initiative and senior managers across government have been asked to integrate the Service Innovation Strategy into their planning going forward. I, and no doubt all residents of the NWT, look forward to seeing the results.

The Honourable J. Michael Miltenberger Minister of Finance

4

A message from the Minister of Finance

We live in a connected world and our clients – the residents and businesses

of the NWT – expect our government to keep pace with other private and

public sector service providers. To meet this expectation, we must modernize

the way we do business by maximizing our use of technology.

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

Deputy Ministers of the GNWT have endorsed the Service Innovation Strategy as a priority and have given the Chief Information Officer the mandate for implementing it. The Strategy directly supports one of the five strategic priorities of the 17th Legislative Assembly – Effective and Efficient Government – in that it will enable us to strengthen service delivery and to make the best use of available resources.

As you will read in the pages that follow, many departments have already made important investments in technology solutions which are making us more responsive, saving money and even saving lives. This is a good start, but our government must do more to keep pace with other jurisdictions when it comes to integrating technology into how we do business.

Data and information are the building blocks of government service. This was recognized by the Auditor General of Canada in his report to the Standing Committee on Government Operations in June 2012. In his report, the Auditor General indicated that the GNWT did not have the information it needed to manage programs and make decisions effectively. He urged the GNWT to “make a sustained effort to improve the quantity and quality of data collected.”

We expect to see a growing number of government e-services in the months and years to come, but we are not limiting our view to on-line tools. To truly achieve the goals of this strategy we must see how technology fits into the bigger picture and to use it to make sure our employees have the information they need, when they need it, so they can deliver the best possible service. It’s also about giving residents and businesses choices about how they engage with their government.

It’s about connecting people, information and services.

We invite you to read through these pages to find out what some GNWT departments are already doing to achieve this objective. But more importantly, we hope this document helps you envision the possibilities that lie ahead: a Northwest Territories where all residents have timely and convenient access to government services, regardless of where they live.

A message from the Deputy Ministers

Making better use of technology represents a fundamental change in how we do business. But it is a change we cannot put off.

5

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

The need for a more coordinated approach to how the GNWT plans and implements information technologies was identified as early as 1994 when Ministers mandated a committee of Deputy Ministers to implement the recommendations of the “1994 Informatics Strategy”.

In 2002, the GNWT identified the need for a Knowledge Management Strategy (KMS) and created the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to provide leadership on matters related to Information Management (IM), Information Systems (IS) and Information Technologies (IT). It also created a Technology Service Centre (TSC) as a shared service organization to provide IT infrastructure services to government departments.

In 2011, following an evaluation of the KMS, Deputy Ministers saw a need to renew and refocus the strategy with a stronger emphasis on service delivery and a name that more accurately reflected their vision: the Service Innovation Strategy. The Office of the CIO remains tasked with leading this work. Departments have also been asked to work with Dave Heffernan, the GNWT’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) to identify services for electronic delivery and look for shared solutions.

6

A brief history of the Strategy

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

Assessing our successes and challengesIn a recent Stratford Institute for Digital Media report evaluating eGovernment initiatives, the Northwest Territories ranked 12th out of 13 provinces and territories. In addition, the GNWT ranked below the national average with respect to on-line services, on-line information and on-line resident engagement.1

It’s not hard to understand why providing government programs and services is a challenging and costly business in the NWT. We serve 33 communities and a population of 43,000 spread over 1,141,000 km².

“In my role as Chief Information Officer I have come to understand that the GNWT needs to do a better job leveraging technology to deliver services more effectively, particularly given our widely dispersed population,” says Dave Heffernan Chief Information Officer of the NWT. “With the improvement of service delivery identified as a priority for the GNWT, I have been working with departments to understand the status of their information technology initiatives and the challenges we need to overcome as we map a course forward.”

Heffernan acknowledges that not all NWT communities have consistent and affordable access to telecommunications infrastructure. Still, he sees beyond the current challenges and is confident that the Service Innovation Strategy can move forward at the same time as improvements are made to telecommunications infrastructure. “Now is the time to ensure we have the tools in place so we are ready to take full advantage of opportunities on the horizon such as a possible Mackenzie Valley fiber optic link,” he says.

For many departments, innovations are already underway that are transforming program and service delivery to residents and businesses of the NWT. Time and resources are being invested in people, processes and technologies to better capture, interpret and use a wide variety of information.

In the following pages you will read about how:

• the Department of Health is using technology to reduce the need for medical travel and even save lives,

• the Department of Transportation is gearing up to offer more transactional services for residents on-line, and

• the Department of Education is rolling out a territory-wide system that will allow teachers to manage and share student information more effectively.

The OCIO is working with departments to build on these successes and identify additional opportunities to leverage technology to improve the delivery of services.

1 The Stratford Institute for Digital Media (2012). Becoming a Digital Nation. Retrieved from the Stratford Institute website: http://stratfordinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/eGovernment_final_web.pdf

Where we are today

7

“ Ranking 12th out of 13 for e-services is not good enough for our residents and it can’t be good enough for us as public servants. All departments need to commit to ensure our employees have the tools and systems they need, when they need them so they can deliver the best possible services.”

Dave Heffernan, Chief Information Officer of the NWT

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

How technology is improving access to health-care across the NWTFor many residents of the NWT, travel is synonymous with healthcare. Not so long ago any patient complication requiring consultation from a provider in a different location would automatically require the patient to be sent out of their community for care. However, technology is bridging this gap. For example, the Territorial DI/PACS (digital imaging) system allowed a Hay River physician and patient to get a specialist at Stanton Hospital to urgently review an ultrasound image within minutes. The Hay River patient remained in their community and received immediate treatment from the specialist. Without DI/PACS and this innovative use of technology, the patient would have been medevaced. Worse, upon physically getting to the specialist the patient would have discovered that the trip was unnecessary and the treatment could have begun sooner and in the home community.

Telehealth videoconferencing is a sophisticated network of equipment that offers increased access to programs and services, including real-time consultation with specialists and other practitioners across the NWT or the south. Telehealth reduces the need for medical travel, allows patients greater access to services and programs regardless of their home community, and improves client outcomes. For example, before Telehealth, a speech pathologist might only be able to visit a community once or twice per year, but now they are able to see patients using videoconferencing much more often.

But it’s not just about patient convenience and efficiency; using technology is saving lives. During an emergency in Inuvik, providers on site were able to use Telehealth to consult with specialists in Yellowknife who determined that the patient needed to be sent directly to Edmonton. It was a decision that ultimately saved that patient’s life. Upon arriving in Edmonton, doctors quickly determined that the patient would have died if there were any delays.

8

Bridging the distance

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

Electronic health records are also improving the efficiency of care for patients with chronic conditions. In Hay River, preparation for dialysis appointment times has been reduced by 35 minutes per appointment.

Technology is saving time and minimizing the potential for errors or delays. Today, as a result of investments in electronic health records, patient information can be shared when and where it is needed. As an example, diagnostic imaging is available digitally; the time to get x-rays to the right provider for decisions has been reduced from two weeks to 35 minutes in an emergency.

“Technology is enabling a transformation in how health and social services care is delivered in the NWT,” says Michele Herriot, the Chief Information Officer for the Department of Health and Social Services, “and the role of technology in health and social services will only continue to grow.”

There are also plans to implement a Territorial Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system to integrate more information, providing one-stop access to a patient’s medical information and making it available for access anywhere in the NWT by authorized providers, or for a virtual team of providers to consult and provide more informed decisions for better patient care and outcomes.

The possibilities for how technology can improve health and social services care are easy to see, but getting there will require a significant commitment at many levels. Each of the regional Health and Social Services Authorities will not only need to use the same technology, they will also need to adopt the same clinical standards, formats and terminology in order to build a true Territory-wide system. This is a journey and additional investment is required to continue enabling transformation to electronic records, integration, and enable access and safer patient care. There is a need for ongoing commitment of funding and resources to properly support it and to ensure it continues to be used and grows to realize full value.

“Technology has transformed how we deliver health care in the NWT,” says Michele Herriot. “And there is still a lot more to be done.”

Medevacs can cost up to $12,000 per flight. In total, Health and Social Services spends

on average $25-30 million per year on medical travel. Using technology can reduce the

reliance on medical travel and improve patient care.

9

“ Integrated electronic health records and technology is allowing practitioners to make real-time decisions that save lives.”Michele Herriot, Chief Information Officer, GNWT Department of Health and Social Services

“ At a time when provinces and territories are struggling under the burden of an aging population and increased health costs, to sustain healthcare a new service paradigm is required. The Northwest Territories Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is the backbone for a patient centered, outcome driven health care network that will improve quality and ensure sustainability.” Dr. Ewan Affleck

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

How the Department of Transportation is using technology to cut wait times and move services on-lineEvery comedian has a joke about it… the motor vehicle licensing office. You walk in with a book, a small snack and a lot of patience to join the line of frustrated drivers waiting for their turn at the counter only to have two of the three agents go on coffee break moments before your turn comes up.

The staff at the Department of Transportation’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office in Yellowknife is used to the jokes. They take it all in stride, but they are quite serious about client service. The office serves 600 people a week on average and about 30,000 people per year. It is like few other government offices in that it provides virtually non-stop service from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

Though it has always strived to provide high quality service, the Office has been focusing on how it can use technology to move clients through more efficiently.

They knew they couldn’t afford to build their own system, so they shopped around and found an existing solution which met their needs, avoiding the high cost that comes with building a custom solution. It’s the same kind of technology used to manage client wait times in other licensing offices, hospitals and even amusement parks. The system manages client flow as well as trends, allowing the division to anticipate busy times of day, weeks, and year, so they can manage their staff accordingly.

The office has also been looking at other small technological improvements aimed at decreasing wait times. Each service booth in the office is equipped with cameras, computers and printers to provide one-stop service.

And these investments have paid off. Since they have introduced the changes, wait times from entry to exit have gone from an average of 50 minutes to 22 minutes.

10

Technology at your service

“ Our wait times from entry to exit have gone from 50 minutes to 22 minutes on average. This has been saving local residents and businesses valuable time.” Michael Conway, the Regional Superintendent of Transportation in the North Slave Region

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

Now the Department is looking at the next step to improving service. The next big push will be on-line access to information and transactional services.

“We recently started publishing our wait times on-line so people now have the ability to check on current wait times before they decide to come into the office,” says Maureen Miller, Supervisor, Yellowknife Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office.

The Department is looking to provide its clients with more service options overall. “We want to put our clients in control of how and when they access our information and services,” says Michael Conway, the Regional Superintendent of Transportation in the North Slave Region, “ This will include providing increased on-line access to services such as vehicle registration renewals, driver abstracts, scheduling of driver exams and reminder notifications for the expiry of vehicle registrations and drivers licenses.

“These efforts are expected to provide considerable benefit not only to our clients, but to our organization as a whole,” says Conway noting that this is best achieved by working with other government departments looking to offer similar services.

“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time we want to improve service delivery. We need to look at existing options and find out what other people have done, even within our own government. And whenever we get the chance, we need to work together strategically to accomplish these goals.”

11

“ We’re at the front line of service delivery for our department. We take pride in our

work and want to deliver the best possible service to our clients. That means it’s

important that we listen, and make the changes needed to improve. We’ll look at

every possible means to make things more convenient for them.”

Maureen Miller, Supervisor, Yellowknife Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

12

Using technology to help teachers track and communicate student progressNormally, discovering that an electronic system you rely on to deliver your services will no longer be supported would be a serious problem. But when officials with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) found out this was going to happen with one of their existing student information systems, they saw it as a tremendous opportunity.

Starting this fall, a new on-line student information system is being launched in schools throughout the NWT. The new system combines existing databases for attendance, Student registration information, achievement testing, report cards, assessment information, scheduling and timetabling.

Combining all of this data into a single source across the department, PowerSchoolTM is a good example of an “enterprise solution” and it promises to be a powerful new tool for teachers and parents across the NWT.

“The new system has the ability to track almost all of the criteria that we use to evaluate students, and store all of the information in the same place,” says Joanne McGrath, Director of Education Operations and Development for ECE.

Hopes are high for the new system. It should be a powerful efficiency tool for teachers, allowing them to spend more of their time focusing on students rather than writing reports or tracking information. However, McGrath cautions that change will not happen overnight, and that it is important for teachers to endure the short-term challenges that come with learning a new system to realize long-term benefits.

ECE is also taking a measured and thoughtful approach to rolling out this technology.

“We don’t want to overburden our teachers. At the start of the school year, they will only have to enter attendance data and their student assessment information,” says McGrath. “They’ll use the system, and all of the information they’ve entered for their students, to generate report cards.”

The system also promises long-term benefits and improved services for parents. Eventually, teachers will be able to share assessment information on-line with their students’ parents—in real time. Parents will be given secure access to allow them to follow their child’s progress on-line.

Powering schools

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 0101010010100010011110101000100100010101000101011000101010001001010000010101000100100110100100101001001000101111010011010001010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100

01010100101000100111101010001001000101010001010110001010100010010100000101010001001001101001001010010010001011110100110100 01010100101000100111101010