Civic Tech WR

👇 We've got something extra on the agenda with our friends at Gender Equity Tech WR on April 8!

This month, we're welcoming guest speaker Kristy Guthrie, co-founder of municiPal AI, an AI-powered search tool built to reimagine how people interact with municipal websites. municiPal AI is helping cities unlock buried digital content, reduce operational inefficiencies, and create better digital experiences for constituents.

🎤 Hear from Kristy about what it takes to build AI-powered civic tech
🛠️ Then stick around to help build this season’s CivicTech projects

See what's possible. Then build it with us.

📅 April 8 | 5:30–8:00 pm
📍 Builder’s Club (165 King Street W, Kitchener)
🍽️ Register for dinner or bring your own
🎟️ RSVP with GET: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/get-together-with-civictechwr-featuring-kristy-guthrie-of-municipal-ai
👶 Childminding is available!

Who's coming to Hacknight? 👀

We're excited to welcome two community leaders and builders.

📣 Eric Lombardi | March 25
Founder of More Neighbours Toronto and chair of Build Toronto, Eric is one of Ontario's leading voices on housing reform and civic renewal.

📣 Kristy Guthrie | April 8
Co-founder of municiPal AI, Kristy is building AI-powered tools that reimagine how people find information on municipal websites.

Hear from our speakers, see what we're building, and jump in if you're inspired to build something for good.

Join us:
📅 Wednesdays, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
📍 The Builders Club (165 King Street W)
👉 Register for one of our events: https://luma.com/civictechwr

📅 This week at CivicTechWR: Join Rory White, Technology and Democracy Reporter for Canada’s National Observer, and creator of Civic Searchlight 🔦

Civic Searchlight is a first-of-its-kind tool that helps journalists and researchers search local council meeting transcripts across 550 Canadian municipalities.

We'll talk...
🔹 Why we need tools that open access to public meetings
🔹 What’s involved in building a free resource for journalists and researchers
🔹 How journalism can drive new technology for democratic accountability

Come for Rory’s experience. Bring your questions. Then, stay for our weekly breakout sessions where we use tech to tackle real-world challenges in Waterloo Region.

🕠 Jan. 28, 2026 at 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
📍 Builders Club, 165 King Street West
💻 Link below

👉 RSVP here:

CivicTechWR - Guest Speaker Rory White, Civic Searchlight · Luma This week at CivicTechWR we welcome guest speaker Rory White, creator of Civic Searchlight. Rory White is a journalist working as a Technology and Democracy…

Happy holidays from all of us in CivicTechWR! If you missed this year, be sure to join us in the new calendar year on Jan 7

Meanwhile, have yourself a warm holidays with lots of warm snacks 🎄