Blog article: A History Worth remembering…
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In honour of #opendataweek2026
A recent conversation about the “early days” of Toronto Open Data sent us down memory lane. When you’re busy building for the future, it’s easy to forget just how far the program has come. We realized that if we don’t document this journey, the institutional knowledge and the “why” behind our work might get lost in the shuffle.
For those new to the block, or those who have been with us since the first CSV was uploaded, this is a re-introduction. We aren’t just a portal; we are over a decade of policy shifts, community-led design, and a dedicated commitment to transparency.
At the heart of it all sits the Open Data Master Plan, the roadmap that transformed us from a technical project into a city-wide mandate. Here is the story of how Toronto Open Data evolved.
- Fall 2009: Official launch of Toronto’s first Open Data website.
- 2010: Toronto co-founds the “G4” municipal group, setting a national standard for data sharing.
- 2011: Adoption of the first formal Open Data Policy.
- 2013: Move to the Pan-Canadian Open Government Licence to ensure legal clarity for all users.
- 2015: Formation of the Public Sector Open Data group.
- 2016: A formal mandate from the City Clerk and CIO directs the team to “build a proper open data portal.”
- Extensive community engagement: 20+ consultations with 125 stakeholders.
- Review the Project Artifacts created during this co-design phase.
- January: Council adopts the Open Data Master Plan (2018-2022) and its detailed framework.
- May: Launch of the redesigned CKAN-powered portal.
- Recognition: The team is celebrated at the Toronto’s Got IT Awards and receives the City Manager’s Award.
- Motion GL8.22 Passed: Council directs enhancements to the Open Data Portal including improved visualization tools.
- Full migration to the new portal completed (read the 2018 in Review blog).
- 2020: Developed the Data Quality Framework and pivoted to program operationalization during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2022: Open Data becomes a core anchor for the City’s Digital Infrastructure Strategic Framework.
- Council adopts EX10.18: Directing the centralization of all City data publishing through the Portal.
- Implemented the Data Quality Score Upgrade and launched the New Dataset Intake Process.
- 2024: Drafting of the Open Data Policy Refresh and initiation of the first Toronto Open Data Awards.
- 2025: Presented at Canadian Open Data Summit; and launched new Staff Guidance for confident data publishing.
Ready to dive In?
Now that you know the history, it’s time to build the future. Whether you’re looking for transit stats, tree maps, or budget breakdowns, it’s all waiting for you.