Making government services more digitally accessible

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that government is capable of quickly changing to engage with people and businesses through online channels to ensure physical distancing. For example, Ontario.ca/COVID19 has been visited over 19 million times and is a trusted source of information that provides the public with clear, easy-to-understand guidance.

The Action Plan will build on these advances to provide best-in-class, user-centric, secure digital solutions to the people and businesses of Ontario.

The goal is to make Ontario the most advanced digital jurisdiction in the world. To start down this path, the goals to be achieved over the next two years will include:

• 70 per cent of the services Ontarians use most, like enhanced virtual health care, are available online.

• 50 per cent of the most common ways the people of Ontario interact with government are completed digitally.

• 75 per cent of citizens and businesses are satisfed with Ontario’s digital services, according to customer experience assessments.

• Digital capabilities and improvements across the Ontario Public Service are available on multiple platforms: online via Ontario.ca, in-person at ServiceOntario and through call centres.

With a focus on bringing more high-quality services online, Ontario is poised to be a best-in-class example, alongside other jurisdictions, like New South Wales in Australia, the UK and Estonia, that have made nearly all of their services available digitally. While we are becoming digital frst, this does not mean that we are digital only. We will also retain existing channels for those who prefer them.

Our initial list of projects will help demonstrate tangible progress toward meeting these outcomes.