CDAO Canada Public Sector 2025
Presentations
Presentation: MDM - Digital Twin Tech: The Next Frontier in Urban Public Services
Digital twin technology is revolutionizing how cities manage and optimize urban planning, infrastructure, and public services. By creating virtual replicas of physical environments, digital twins enable real-time monitoring and predictive analytics that can enhance everything from traffic management to disaster response. How can digital twins improve the efficiency and sustainability of urban infrastructure management? What challenges do cities face when implementing digital twin technology, especially in terms of funding and scalability?
Aneesh Joshi
Director Technology Advisor
INFRASTRUCTURE ONTARIO
Presentation: Data-Driven Education: Leading with Insight in a Competitive Talent Landscape
As public education embraces digital transformation, data systems are playing a critical role in improving student outcomes and operational decision-making. This session will explore the journey of building in-house data infrastructure to enable real-time insights and proactive intervention — while navigating the complex leadership challenges of talent retention in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Key Discussion Points:
- Building accessible, purpose-driven data systems to support evidence-based decision-making
- Cultivating internal data leadership in the face of limited public sector resources
- Addressing the talent gap: strategies to compete with the private sector for data and AI professionals
- Balancing innovation with sustainability: how to scale data capabilities without over-reliance on external tools
Scott McKenzie
Chief Technology Officer
FORT VERMILION SCHOOL DIVISION
Presentation: Enabling Reliable Agentic AI Through Unified Data and Business Context – A Government Perspective
Agentic AI is emerging as a powerful tool for improving service delivery, automating workflows, and enhancing decision-making across government. But without strong foundations in data and governance, these initiatives can stall or introduce significant risks.
This session will explore how government organizations can build the conditions for reliable and trustworthy Agentic AI, with a focus on:
- Ensuring AI agents inherit appropriate access controls and operate within mission and regulatory frameworks.
- Addressing the risks of fragmented legacy systems and siloed data.
- Building a unified, governed data and business context layer to support explainable, consistent, and secure outcomes.
- Lessons from forward-thinking agencies moving from pilots to scaled AI use cases that deliver measurable public value.
Étienne Pelletier
Data Virtualization Expert
DENODO
Presentation: How Global Affairs Canada is Leveraging AI to Transform its Grants and Contributions Processes and Systems
This session will explore how Global Affairs Canada is leveraging artificial intelligence to transform its Grants and Contributions processes and systems. Maher Mamhikoff will share how AI is streamlining workflows, reducing administrative burden, and supporting faster, data-informed decision-making. He will highlight lessons learned in automating key functions while ensuring transparency, fairness, and responsible AI use. The session will also touch on collaboration across departments and the long-term vision for scaling innovation in funding programs.
Maher Mamhikoff
Director Development Finance, Data & AI
GLOBAL AFFAIRS CANADA
Presentation: From Silos to Strategy: Building Service-Centric Dashboards for Smarter Public Sector Decision-Making
- What challenges or opportunities led to the decision to build centralized service dashboards in your organization?
- How can public sector teams foster cross-departmental collaboration when developing integrated dashboards?
- In what ways can data partnerships be leveraged to enhance BI reporting across different service lines?
- What are the most effective strategies for presenting complex data clearly and impactfully to senior leadership?
- How do you establish governance structures and build trust in the accuracy and integrity of dashboard data?
Alexis Bruneau
Senior Data Scientist
TRANSPORT CANADA
Presentation: From Data Hoarders to Evidence-Based Organizations
- The Data Hoarding Problem - Organizations collect massive amounts of data without purpose, creating costly silos and storage burdens while preventing meaningful insights from emerging across departments.
- The Transformation Journey - Moving from data collection to data curation requires building organizational data literacy, establishing governance frameworks, and creating a culture that values hypothesis-driven thinking over gut instinct.
- Evidence-Based Decision Making - The end goal is an organization where data drives strategic decisions through practical tools, processes, and leadership commitment to analytical thinking, supported by clear metrics and continuous improvement.
Celio Oliveira
AI and Data Governance Expert
Presentation: Data Literacy in Government: Building Competence, Confidence, and Culture
The growing importance of data in government decision-making means that data literacy is a critical skill for civil servants. The goal is to build a data-driven culture that empowers public sector workers to make more informed, evidence-based decisions. We’ll explore models for effective training, the obstacles to embedding a data culture in legacy institutions, and how governments can evaluate the ROI of their data literacy programs to ensure they are meeting objectives and driving real impact. What are the most effective approaches for upskilling civil servants in data analytics and storytelling? What barriers exist when embedding a data-driven culture in legacy institutions, and how can they be overcome? How can public sector leaders measure the effectiveness of their data literacy programs? Julian Kirby
Senior Analyst
DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND OCEANS