Eight U.S., four Canadian, and nine Latin American cities achieve first-ever Certification
Winnipeg, MB – The City of Winnipeg is proud to announce that Results for America has named it as one of 21 new cities, including the first four in Canada, to have been awarded the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification for establishing exceptional data capabilities to inform policy, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programs, and engage residents. The What Works Cities Certification standard reflects the practices, policies, and infrastructure municipalities must have in place to effectively harness data for better decision-making. With today’s announcement, 104 cities in North, Central, and South America have now achieved the What Works Cities Certification distinction, and 700 cities have submitted assessments since 2017.
“Good decisions start with good data, and achieving the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification reflects the progress we’re making to strengthen how we use data to improve services, track progress, and invest in what works for residents,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. “There’s always more to do, and we remain committed to improving and innovating alongside international peers in the What Works Cities Certification community. I want to thank our team at the City for their leadership in this work.”
The What Works Cities Certification standard measures a city’s use of data based on 43 criteria. A city that achieves 51–67% of the 43 criteria is recognized at the Silver level of Certification, 68–84% is required to achieve Gold, and 85% or more is required to reach Platinum.
A notable example of Winnipeg’s use of data includes analyzing workforce data in City-funded projects. Following the analysis, the City created a new system which led to 21 new contracts in which underrepresented groups made-up 75% of total hours worked by all these contractors.
To learn more about the What Works Cities Certification or to take the Assessment, visit whatworkscities.bloomberg.org.
