On October 2, 2017, Public Sector Digest (PSD) announced the third annual Open Cities Index, ranking the top 20 most open Canadian cities. The results reflect inspiring improvements among Canadian cities, big and small, indicating that cities are more transparent than ever.

“No longer is open data simply a pet project of a single staff member seeking buy-in from his or her colleagues. For many local governments, open data is now a strategic priority, and project teams are being created to encourage cross-departmental participation.” – Public Sector Digest


Read the full 2017 Open Cities Index report here.

Chart of the top 20 open cities with ratings of Readiness, Implementation, and Impact

Top 20, Most Open, Canadian Cities



    1. Edmonton, AB

    2. Toronto, ON

    3. Winnipeg, MB

    4. Calgary, AB

    5. Surrey, BC

    6. New Westminster, BC

    7. Montreal, QC

    8. Brampton, ON

    9. Niagara Region, ON

    10. Ottawa, ON

    11. Strathcona County, AB

    12. Vancouver, BC

    13. Brandon, MB

    14. York Region, ON

    15. Kamloops, BC

    16. Mississauga, ON

    17. Oakville, ON

    18. Burlington, ON

    19. Greater Sudbury, ON

    20. Welland, ON

Highlights from the 2017 Open Cities Index

    • This year, the Open Cities Index includes 61 municipalities, with 9 brand new participating communities.
    • In 2016, an average of 79 datasets were published by our participating municipalities, rising to an average of 97 datasets per municipality in 2017.
    • For the third year in a row, the City of Edmonton has grabbed the top spot in the Open Cities Index ranking, claiming once again the title of “Canada’s Most Open City.”
    • For the third year in a row, the City of Toronto retains its second place ranking in the Open Cities Index.
    • The City of Winnipeg has climbed seven positions from 10th in 2016 to third in 2017.
    • The 2017 Top 20 list includes two municipalities brand new to the Index: Kamloops and Greater Sudbury, coming in 15th and 19th respectively.
    • The City of Welland, Ontario, with a population of 52,293, earned the “Most Improved” accolade this year, climbing 37 spots in the ranking from 57th in 2016 to 20th in 2017.
    • The 2017 Top 20 list includes 10 municipalities from Ontario, four from British Columbia, three from Alberta, two from Manitoba, and one from Quebec.
    • The top ranking community in the large municipality category (250,000+) is of course the City of Edmonton, AB with 932,546 residents.
    • The top ranking municipality in the second population category (100,001-250,000) is the Town of Oakville, ON, with a population of 193,832 and an overall rank of 17th.
    • In the third population category (50,001-100,000), the City of New Westminster, BC, with a population of 70,996, secured the top spot and an overall ranking of 6th.
    • In the smallest population category (0-50,000), the City of Brandon, MB, with a population of 48,859 scored the highest ranking (13th overall).
    • Public Sector Digest recognized the Regional Municipality of Niagara as the highest scoring upper-tier municipality in the 2017 ranking, rising from 14th to 9th this year.
    • The City of Edmonton, AB received a score of 98% overall for its open data program.
    • The overall average score for the 61 participating municipalities was 43% for 2017, up from 27% in 2016.