Connecting Canadians

The outcome of a major research initiative, ConnectingCanadians examines the role of community informatics, orcommunity-based ICT initiatives, in this process of transition. TheCommunity Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking(CRACIN) set out to study how civil society groups—in locationsranging from Vancouver to Labrador and from remote Northern communitiesto Toronto and Montréal—sought to enable local communities todevelop on their own terms within the broader context of federal andprovincial policies and programs. Drawing on diverse theoreticalperspectives, from sociology to library and information sciences towomen’s studies, the essays not only document specific localinitiatives but analyze the overall trajectory of thegovernment’s vision of a digitally inclusive Canada. The lessonslearned in the course of this comprehensive research offer valuableguidance to community groups, NGOs, and others in the private sector,but they are also of critical importance to those who presently shapepublic policy.