Atlantic Canada On-Line
Q&A
What is Atlantic Canada On-Line?
Atlantic Canada On-Line will be a electronic government information access service. This service will enable businesses and consumers to easily access government information such as deeds, court information and/or marriage, birth and death certificates, from a office or home computer terminal.
Who will run ACOL?
Atlantic Canada On-Line will be managed by a private sector consortium led by Unisys Canada Inc. Other members of the consortium include Ameritech, The CCL Group and Software Kinetics. The four provincial governments will retain controlling ownership of the government data and the right to exercise veto power over its use and marketing.
How much will this initiative cost the provinces?
There will be no financial cost to any of the provincial governments. The role of government will be to provide the information data bases. Unisys as the equity partner of the consortium, will invest $10 million over the next five years to develop, implement and manage the project.
How much will it cost to use the system?
The fee structure for access to the service has not yet been determined but will be based on the type of information requested and the expected volume of requests for any particular type of information.
Will any government jobs be lost as a result of this initiative?
This project is not intended as a means of downsizing government. Depending on the level of demand for the service this initiative has the potential to generate both public and private sector employment.
When will the service be available for use?
It is anticipated that the service will be available by the end of 1996.
How will Unisys and the consortium be paid?
A percentage of user fees for the service will be shared by the government and Unisys. Percentages will be based on individual contracts developed between the consortium and each participating government department.
Atlantic Canada On-Line
Backgrounder
* This initiative began in July of 1994 when the Conference of Atlantic Premiers commissioned a consulting study to determine the feasibility of establishing a regional information service that would provide on-line access to government databases in Atlantic Canada.
* In May of 1995, the Conference accepted the consulting report and in June released a competitive procurement for the establishment of a regional electronic access service called Atlantic Canada On-Line (ACOL).
* A consortium led by Unisys Canada Inc. was chosen as the preferred supplier to the Atlantic Provinces for the creation, implementation and management of Atlantic Canada On-Line.
* The consortium, headed by Unisys, also includes Ameritech, the CCL Group and Software Kinetics.
* Unisys will manage the project and lend its experience as information and technology providers. Unisys has over 25 years experience in Atlantic Canada in systems integration and public-private partnerships.
* Ameritech brings a specialized knowledge of electronic access to government records with its CivicLink service. Ameritech currently provides electronic access service to government information in Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis Indiana, Prince George's County, Maryland and Los Angeles, California.
* Ameritech's CivicLink is an information gateway service modeled after BC OnLine, which has been in service for nearly seven years.
* Software Kinetics, an ISO 9001 certified software engineering company, will provide systems integration. Through their business relationship with Software Kinetics, iStar Internet Inc., Canada's largest Internet provider, will act as access provider to the Internet.
* The member companies of the CCL Group will bring an array of communications services to the consortium. Corporate Research Associates will provide all market research, CorporaTel will act as the client service centre for ACOL and Corporate Communications Limited will provide the communications services for the consortium. The CCL Group has offices in Halifax, Saint John and Moncton.
* Atlantic Canada On-Line will provide businesses and consumers electronic access to many of the information databases currently maintained by government. Potential applications are property records (land title and assessment) court records and vital statistics (marriages, births and deaths).
* Unisys will invest $10 million over the next five years in the review of government information and in turning that information into a commercially marketable service.
* Similar systems to Atlantic Canada On-Line currently exist in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba.
* Atlantic Canada On-Line will complement other major government projects underway to create more sophisticated information infrastructure in each of the four Atlantic Provinces. These initiatives include Nova Scotia's Wide Area Network; New Brunswick's Service New Brunswick; Newfoundland's Enterprise Network and Prince Edward Island's Province-Wide Network.
* The term of the agreement between the four Atlantic Provinces and the consortium is seven years.