Friday, September 8, 2017 3 Brooklin Town Crier Wierzbicki Wins National Steeplechase Gold Brooklin's Jack Wierzbicki recently competed in the midget boy's 1500m steeplechase for Team Ontario at the The Legion's National Track and Field Championships that were held in Brandon, Manitoba, August 11-13. The Legion's National Track and Field Championships have come to be regarded as one of the best in the country, with each province sending their best athletes. In fact, many former participants have gone on to international and Olympic success. To qualify, Jack won his district and then headed to Windsor where he also won the provincial championship while setting a meet record. In his August 13 race, Jack overcame a stumble before the last steeple and out sprinted his opponent during the last 100m to pass him at the finish line and capture gold. His winning time of 4:26.39 was a personal best beat his opponent from Manitoba, who finished in 4:26.67. Jack also competes for Brooklin High School and Durham Dragons and will shortly transition to the cross country season. Town Council Approves New Digital Strategy The Town of Whitby is focused on exploring ways to leverage technology to deliver better, more efficient services to residents. On Monday, August 21, Town Council approved the staff recommendation to create a long-term digital strategy in addition to a few priority projects. The new five-year digital strategy will be solutions-oriented and customer-centric in order to better serve residents in an innovative, cost-effective and sustainable manner. The strategy will serve as a framework that allows the Town to be agile and adaptable as it moves forward with its digital transformation. It will focus on: improving resident engagement and access to information through digital channels, digitizing Town services, and promoting open and transparent government by providing better access to data. "While the pace of digital change is rapid, we want to be a leader in digital innovation and technology," added Matthew Gaskell, Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Whitby. "The investments we are making inherently build innovation and collaboration into our day-to-day service delivery and will allow us to be nimble and responsive for years to come." To address the Town's immediate priorities, Council also approved a few short-term digital projects. These include, but are not limited to: minor website improvements to meet immediate compliance needs and improve usability; the creation of a modernized corporate intranet to promote and facilitate collaboration, information sharing and new ideas; and, the introduction of a new self-serve electronic permit and inspection scheduling tool to be used by builders working on developments in Whitby. The digital strategy is scheduled to be brought forward to Council in late 2018 and will look at how to further encourage collaboration and innovative solutions for the Town and its residents.