On the Web: a wealth of government information.

• Author: Gleason, Nancy
• Position: World Wide Web - Includes Canadian government Web site addresses

From federal ministries to the smallest towns, government offices in Canada are going on-line with World Wide Web home pages and services. While some governments are just beginning to merge onto the information highway, others offer a variety of information and services that are interest not only to residents and tourists but to other governments as well.

Intergovernmental Information Kiosk

The Intergovernmental On-line Information Kiosk (http://www.intergov.gc.ca), referred to as InterGov, is maintained by the Canadian Government On-line (CGOL) intergovernmental project on behalf of the Canadian federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments. Designed to provide easy access to on-line information and services offered by governments, this site's links connect users with Web sites offered by Canadian governments at all levels.

InterGov's on-line library offers documents related to on-line activities in Canada, CGOL reports, and strategic documents for various jurisdictions. The on-line documents are indexed by title and by jurisdiction. Publications available on-line include the 1996 federal budget documents, a Nova Scotia information highway study, and a report from the "information highway secretariat" in New Brunswick.

A catalogue of government on-line services consists of a searchable database of technology-based public services offered throughout Canada. Services may be provided on Web sites, via facsimile or telephone, at electronic kiosks, and in several other formats. Users can search for on-line services by jurisdiction, target audience, type of service, or keyword. Subject-based searches also are possible, including agriculture and farming; business, economic, and finance; public works and utilities; and transportation. A search of the subject "government administration" yielded more than 100 services, including a land records integrated management system in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; electronic filing of tax returns and personal property registry systems in several provinces; and the automated customs and information service for Canada. When users select a service, they are transferred directly to the computer server providing it.

Another service offered by InterGov is the Virtual Conference Centre. Restricted to registered users of InterGov, secured virtual conference rooms and moderated mailing list discussions are available to government employees, officials, and elected members of any public organization in Canada...