A little over 60-kilometres north of Toronto is a small Canadian town that wants to transform itself into the city of the future.
Innisfil’s leaders are employing progressive policies such as paying taxes with Bitcoin, a futuristic town planning project, a custom accelerator for talent and more. Throughout this series tech journalist Takara Small will hear from the strategists behind the plans, the entrepreneurs who will benefit and local residents who live there.
Tech Town is a story about how Innisfil is using technology to re-imagine small town life.
Make sure to follow us online at @Innisfilecdev on Twitter and Instagram as well as visit www.innisfilaccelerates.ca for more details about the podcast.
Coming July 27th.
Mayor Lynn Dollin (Mayor, Innisfil) (00:02):
I listened for a little to make sure I wasn't hearing wrong. And I was so proud to like tp walk over and tap on the lady shoulder and say, hi, I'm the mayor of the town you're talking about.
Takara Small (Host) (00:12):
How does a rural town in Canada end up making international news?
Leyland Cecco (Journalist, The Guardian) (00:18):
Innisfil is an interesting look at it, kind of risk aversion, and also ambition.
Takara Small (Host) (00:23):
I have our ideas about what small towns are and how they think, but there is an exception to every rule.
Alexander Josephson (co-founder, PARTISANS) (00:30):
I think the most wonderful things emerge in the most unexpected places. They've approached it in a multipronged approach that we've never seen anywhere in the world.
Takara Small (Host) (00:41):
Tech Town is a story about bright ideas and taking risks in the most unlikely places. I'm Takara Small, a technology writer and entrepreneur and throughout this series I'll be exploring how Innisfil--a town in Ontario, Canada--is changing how we think about the urban rural divide and the limitations of life and business in small towns.
Alexander Josephson (co-founder, PARTISANS) (01:03):There's so much opportunity to lead. And I think that the benefit for the glory far outweighs any pressure from the skeptics.
Takara Small (Host) (01:11):
How do you bring big city ideas to small town living? And is it possible to marry the two, you know, Dubai, Toronto, New York, and Innisfil like, we are so punching above our weight. I want to find out what the town of Innisfil is, planning for its future, as it embraces the tech revolution and how you convince a rural population that the road less traveled is the right one. This feels like we are at the beginning of something very big that's happening up here.