Digital Transformation

The City of Burlington’s Digital Business Strategy contains a planned set of actions and investments that take advantage of technology and data to optimize and transform the way City services are delivered. The strategy guides the delivery of services that meet the needs of our growing community, are easy to use and cost efficient. The strategy also aligns to the overarching strategic priorities of the City.
Follow this page to see examples of how the City is harnessing digital tools and technology to create tangible improvements for residents and businesses.
The City of Burlington’s Digital Business Strategy contains a planned set of actions and investments that take advantage of technology and data to optimize and transform the way City services are delivered. The strategy guides the delivery of services that meet the needs of our growing community, are easy to use and cost efficient. The strategy also aligns to the overarching strategic priorities of the City.
Follow this page to see examples of how the City is harnessing digital tools and technology to create tangible improvements for residents and businesses.
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Launch of new digital assistant on City website provides enhanced customer support
Share Launch of new digital assistant on City website provides enhanced customer support on Facebook Share Launch of new digital assistant on City website provides enhanced customer support on Twitter Share Launch of new digital assistant on City website provides enhanced customer support on Linkedin Email Launch of new digital assistant on City website provides enhanced customer support linkA new option to find the City information you are looking for has arrived. CoBy, the City’s first AI-powered digital assistant, can be found on the City’s website, burlington.ca.
This customer service enhancement provides 24/7 access to a wealth of city information and services. With a simple click, residents, businesses, and visitors can pose questions and receive real-time, AI-generated responses, based on the extensive knowledge gathered from burlington.ca.
CoBy is not just a digital assistant, it is an ever-evolving digital entity, designed to learn, adapt, and improve from every interaction, ensuring an enriched user experience.
The City of Burlington is one of the first municipalities in Canada to launch a generative AI digital assistant, created with Microsoft Copilot Studio. We want to hear about your experiences using CoBy.
How CoBy works
Web users will find a welcoming green conversation bubble icon in the bottom right-hand corner of every web page on burlington.ca. Users can click the icon and enter a question for CoBy about the city. The digital assistant then uses Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) technology to quickly and efficiently provide the information requested.
The new digital assistant is currently in the beta phase of development, ready for testing. CoBy will continue to develop over time, influenced by the customer requests it receives, patterns learned through generative AI, and the addition of new data sources on the City’s website and beyond. Users can provide feedback on their experience with CoBy at getinvolvedburlington.ca/digitaltransformation.
Burlington is a city where people, nature and businesses thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at Burlington.ca/Enews and follow @CityBurlington on social media.
Quick Facts
The digital assistant initiative is connected to the City’s four-year work plan called Burlington’s Plan from Vision to Focus 2022-2026 through two areas of focus - providing the best services and experiences and driving organizational performance. Key objectives for these areas include:
- Creating a positive customer and staff experience every time
- Expanding and enhancing opportunities to engage, listen and respond to our community
- Being proactive to our growing and changing community needs
- Prioritizing projects and initiatives to optimize City staff and technology resources
- Efficient and effective service delivery
- Being agile and innovative to inspire people, streamline processes, and leverage technology
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Burlington launches technology pilot to accelerate permitting process for commercial buildings
Share Burlington launches technology pilot to accelerate permitting process for commercial buildings on Facebook Share Burlington launches technology pilot to accelerate permitting process for commercial buildings on Twitter Share Burlington launches technology pilot to accelerate permitting process for commercial buildings on Linkedin Email Burlington launches technology pilot to accelerate permitting process for commercial buildings linkThe City of Burlington is undertaking a pilot program to accelerate the permitting process for industrial-commercial buildings. Burlington is the second city in Canada to use this technology to improve its permitting process and make it easier to build in Burlington. Burlington is also the first city in Canada to use the technology specifically for development on employment lands.
How it works
Using innovative AI-powered technology, the platform used in the pilot digitizes the rules in Burlington’s zoning bylaws, relating to industrial-commercial buildings. Once applicants have submitted a proposed design, the platform automatically evaluates the design’s compliance against the relevant rules. The solution checks to ensure requirements are met for things such as setbacks, heights, floor area ratios, landscape areas and parking ratios.
The digital tool also generates a comprehensive compliance report which is available to the applicant immediately. The report gives applicants a summary of which aspects of the design have passed or failed, as well as details about how the design complies with each zoning bylaw rule.
The AI-powered technology’s ability to review designs quickly and efficiently provides value to the City, customers, and staff, including:
- Saved time, by reducing the number of manual exchanges between applicants and City staff
- Allowing applicants to have immediate feedback on proposals and allowing for modifications prior to submission
- Faster approvals and turnaround time on issuing building permits
- Shortened design time
- Higher quality of design submissions
- Financial savings on the cost of multiple design revisions
- Enhanced transparency about the City of Burlington’s development review process
The pilot began in late July and will conclude by the end of 2023. The objective of the pilot is to provide essential data on the value such a tool may provide for Burlington in accomplishing our stated organizational goals related to housing.
The platform can also be used to check design compliance on all forms of development. While this option is not currently part of the pilot, applicants can pick a specific site, upload their design to the platform and immediately see a 3D visualization which allows users to assess whether their design meets the rules.
Next steps after the pilot may include further pilots or a larger-scale rollout.
Who's Listening
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Phone 905-335-7777 ext 7356 Email clare.cameron@burlington.ca -
Phone 905-335-7777 ext 7491 Email kyle.conway@burlington.ca -
Phone 905-335-7777 ext 7775 Email richard.liu@burlington.ca
Level of Engagement
Key Dates
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May 15, 2023
Digital Transformation has finished this stageCouncil workshop was held on May 15, 2023 for the Corporate Digital Business Strategy.
Council workshop video can be found here.
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November 6, 2023
Digital Transformation has finished this stageBurlington launches technology pilot to accelerate permitting process for commercial buildings.
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February 12, 2024
Digital Transformation is currently at this stageLaunch of CoBy, Digital Assistant