Third Tuesday Toronto

Ontario's Ombudsman, André Marin, on the Importance of Open Government

June 21, 2011 · 6:00 PM
The Pilot

Ontario Ombudsman André Marin has taken his job as the province's watchdog seriously - investigating issues affecting millions of Ontarians, and making his office the first of its kind to use social media to interact with the public and investigate complaints. Now, fresh from the release of his annual report the same day, the Ombudsman will discuss his newest focus - promoting open government. Join him to hear his ideas on how his office can lead by example - and share your own.

Agenda:

6:00 - 6:30 Networking

6:30 - 7:30 Ontario's Ombudsman, André Marin speaks and takes questions

7:30 - ? Mix and mingle with new and old friends

Acknowledging Third Tuesday's sponsors

As always, I want to thank the sponsors of Third Tuesday: CNW Group, Rogers Communications, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, Radian6 and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Thanks to these sponsors, we are able to program great speakers in cities across Canada, including Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa.

Student Admission

We want students to be able to participate. So, if you're a student, simply present your valid student ID at the registration desk and we'll refund your admission fee. Courtesy of Thornley Fallis.

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Gina Konjarski

I thought it was a great opportunity for the Ontario Ombudsman's office to share what the their role/mandate is and tied that in with social media. Hopefully the talk stimulates more interest in open government and other citizens can take an active role in its development.

0 · June 23, 2011
A former member

I really enjoyed Andre's open-minded attitude and he was a very good speaker. I am really looking forward to seeing what he will do to achieve his idea of open government. Well worth the time and money to attend this meetup.

0 · June 22, 2011
Aggie Fortier

Good speaker, knowledgeable on subject matter. Would have wanted to hear more about the strategy in building twitter follower base: what would make the average Canadian interested in following their tweets? This is a particular challenge in the public sector that I would have been interested in finding out more about.

0 · June 22, 2011
Nicole Helsberg

i don't think he really addressed the importance of open government. he noted a few of his successful investigations. it felt like more of a promo piece/introduction to his office.

0 · June 22, 2011
Pat Connolly

Was hoping there'd be more focus on technological innovation, but was mainly focused on the social innovation through social media. But hey, I suppose that was to be expected :)

0 · June 22, 2011
Tim

Not overly impressed with the speaker who made the tragic error of reading from his slides! Disappointed that he did not address more thoroughly the role of social media in open government. It was redundant of him to spend the time he did on the role of his office.

0 · June 22, 2011
A former member

Great-robust response; hope Marin continues to bring energy to this post!

0 · June 22, 2011
John Peck

Liked how he matched content to audience, covering both the role of his office and how social media makes his job easier.

0 · June 22, 2011
Jim Courtney

Great information; became obvious where social networking can fit into their work and make a huge difference.

0 · June 22, 2011
Larry Till

Very enjoyable evening, and the topic was timely. Marin is a good, effective speaker, and I found his presentation artful. Too many people make the mistake of using PowerPoint as a text medium. He gets it - as he does with social media, which is what drew me to the event in the first place. I was also pleasantly surprised at the breadth of of the crowd. I will definitely be watching for future events to attend.

0 · June 22, 2011
Lindsay Munro

I wish Andre provided more insight on how he was using Twitter and the push back, if any, he has felt from his boss, the legislative assembly.

0 · June 22, 2011
Liza Butcher

Very inspiring and thought provoking!

0 · June 22, 2011
Renée Mellow

He's a great presenter, but I was hoping for more 'how' Ombudsman office uses social media and some specific case studies/success stories.

0 · June 22, 2011