Hamilton awarded by Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities

HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton is proud to have been awarded the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification at the Silver level.

City of Hamilton one of the first-ever Canadian cities to achieve Certification

Hamilton is one of 21 new cities, including one of the first four Canadian cities to receive Certification, as recognized by Results for America, 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.

"I am so proud of the City of Hamilton for earning the Silver What Works Cities Certification for 2024. This recognition highlights our commitment to using data-driven decisions to enhance customer service, transparency, and efficiency for all Hamiltonians," said Mayor Andrea Horwath. "This achievement would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of City of Hamilton staff, who have aligned policies and practices with Council's priority of 'Responsiveness & Transparency.' This focus will strengthen public confidence in our evidence-based decision-making. A special thank you to Results for America, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the What Works Cities Certification Standard Committee for your time and support of our city."

A key example of the City of Hamilton’s use of data is its partnership with local post-secondary institutions, McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer University through CityLAB Hamilton. This collaboration has enabled more than 4,100 students to apply data and analytics in developing more than 230 innovative solutions to pressing community challenges, such as improving access to early education.

“Achieving What Works Cities Certification is a milestone that reflects our collective commitment to making better decisions and continuously improving how we serve our community,” said Marnie Cluckie, City Manager. “This recognition not only affirms the incredible work happening across our organization but also provides a valuable benchmark for continued progress. By learning from other municipalities and tracking our own performance, we can enhance transparency, improve services, and attract top talent to drive innovation. I’m proud of our team’s dedication to building a stronger, more responsive city. At its core, this is about making life better for the people who live, work, and visit Hamilton. By using data in smarter ways, we can solve problems faster and deliver better services - and this is just the beginning of what’s possible.”

"Being one of the first Canadian cities to receive Certification speaks to Hamilton’s dedication to leveraging data and innovation to build a high-performing City,” said Cyrus Tehrani, Chief Information Officer. "Rebounding from the 2024 cybersecurity incident, we are building back stronger. By modernizing our systems and putting our community first, we are reinforcing our commitment to innovation and data-driven decision-making, while driving us toward achieving Gold and Platinum What Works Cities Certification in the years to come.”

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.

“At a time when people are questioning the role of government, and what good government looks like, governments must be better at using data to know what is and isn’t working – and that is what the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification stands for,” said Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification. “Over one hundred cities are now showing what is possible by investing the time, energy, and political capital to shift the culture of how local government works.”

“The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification is one of the largest-ever philanthropic efforts to improve how local governments use data to improve people’s lives,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “This work is helping reform-minded mayors across the Americas bring their organizations into the 21st century. Whether to stem housing shortages, reduce traffic fatalities, or improve resident service and responsiveness, these city halls are tapping data, digital, and artificial intelligence to rise to the challenge – and we are thrilled to support their progress.”

Representing a growing movement of local governments across the Americas investing in data and evidence, the 21 new Certified What Works Cities are: Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, and Winnipeg from Canada; Burlington, Vermont; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Fort Worth, Texas; Newark, New Jersey; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Raleigh, North Carolina; Reno, Nevada; and Savannah, Georgia from the U.S.; Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Caruaru, from Brazil; Corrientes, San Nicolás, and Vicente López from Argentina; and Maipú and San Fernando from Chile.

The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the international standard of data excellence in city governance. The program is open to any city in North, Central, or South America with a population of 30,000 or more.

To learn more about the What Works Cities Certification or to take the Assessment, visit whatworkscities.org.

About the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification:

The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the first-of-its-kind standard of excellence for data-informed, well-managed local government. What Works Cities Certification recognizes and celebrates local governments for their exceptional use of data to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and engage residents.