The Technology Committee has a vision for Olds - the creation of a connected community where citizens are intelligent consumers of technology and have established a culture of use. This is a community that goes far beyond e-mail or simple e-commerce; it is a community where access to and use of information technology exists on a scale equivalent to the current use of electrical power or water in our taps.

These outcomes are fundamental to our goal of linking every household and business in Olds to Alberta's SuperNet. We are talking about a community portal, a single port of service for e-commerce, secure service sites, e-markets. We are considering making available to every citizen, advantages such as Voice Over Internet communications (VoIP), mass storage, virtual private networks, and all of the attendance training and services for users.

Olds Institute Technology Committee's Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) project is steadily making these dreams become reality.

The region is well positioned for the technological advances we envision. The Community Learning Campus (CLC) - a joint project of Chinook's Edge School Division, the Town of Olds, Mountain View County, Olds College, and others - has become a high-tech learning incubator with the support of Bell Canada and the development of the Bell e-Learning Centre.

This commitment to the CLC project is strong evidence that Mountain View County and its associated municipalities recognize they have the opportunity to overcome one of the quite serious obstacles to conducting business in this global minded, 21st Century. Better communications networks will help the people of Olds access the opportunities they need to thrive in this economy.

The results we expect:

• Olds will become the best place for Small/Medium Enterprise specializing in IT in Alberta
• The community will be a model for the region in information technology, rural development, and a culture of use
• Education for all in terms of access ... increased accessibility to education, particularly for those who have experienced barriers in the past
• Reduce the average age of the population to ensure growth
• Increase opportunity for youth
• Increase home based business providing flex time opportunity
• Increase the number of clean and green businesses
• Shift the types of employment opportunities
• Increase skilled employment opportunities
• Increase in overall Small/Medium Enterprise
• Increase average income of the community overall
• Retain and engage the retiring workforce

One of the ways we are addressing the technological advancements is by hosting workshops and seminars. The Olds Institute hosted business development consultant, Brock Dickinson, on May 14, 2008 for a one-day workshop. 80 delegates learned about new technologies and how they are changing the way we do business. The workshop was a great success.

If you have ideas for technological advancements or any questions, please contact Chairman Joe Gustafson at technology@oldsinstitute.com, or call Gail Scott, Olds CEDO at 403-507-4849.