It’s time for our quarterly update on what digital services we’re currently working on. Now that summer is in full swing, we’re continuing to move projects forward and we’re taking stock of all of the new projects on the horizon for this year.
This post contains updates on the government’s:
- websites;
- citizen engagement;
- open government; and
- online services.
Websites
Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) website
This will be a new website for the Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. Planning is underway.
GameSense website
We’re currently developing a website with information on gambling, responsible gaming, making informed decisions and resources for support. We expect to launch it to the public in August along with the new Lotteries Yukon website.
Health care professionals talent acquisition website
This will be a website dedicated to attract suitable health care professional candidates who will apply on hard-to-fill healthcare jobs, especially jobs in Yukon communities outside Whitehorse. We’re in the planning stage and our target is to launch the website later this year or in early 2022.
Indicators of Yukon Gender Equality website
For this project, we’ll be shutting down the existing Indicators of Yukon Gender Equality website and making the content available on Yukon.ca and elsewhere. We’ll be finalizing our migration plan and expect to start working on content this month.
Migrating or decommissioning our remaining boutique websites and applications
Our 1st phase was to migrate department pages and websites off the old content management system called RedDot. This is now done.
We had 360 boutique websites and applications not made with RedDot. Since January we’ve been analyzing, then migrating or decommissioning these sites. So far, we’ve dealt with 120 properties. Our work will continue during the rest of this fiscal year with the goal of having every property where it needs to be by March 31, 2022.
Missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people website
This new website will be a space where the government and partners will share research and progress updates on Yukon’s MMIWG2S+ response. It will be a space to communicate and share research and progress updates.
Users will be able to:
- learn what they can do;
- see what others are doing; and
- hold the government, Yukon organizations and contributors accountable for their commitments.
We have completed pre-discovery and we’re in the planning phase. We expect this website to go live by the end of 2021.
Property assessment and taxation IT modernization
For this project the department is looking to replace multiple, older IT systems with 1 new system. This summer we’ll take part in vendor demos and support the department in the procurement process.
Socio-economic web portal (SEWP) website transition
This fall we’re planning to transition the current SEWP website to a new and more modern platform. As part of the process we’ll look for opportunities to add visual representations of the data on the current site, improve user access, and the potential to integrate geospatial tools to search or visualize data.
Yukon.ca
We have just completed Phase 8 work where we:
- expanded the use of in-page alerts to include public engagement pages;
- improved French translation on document download pages;
- enhanced accessibility by fixing background colours to improve contrast and underlining links on mobile; and
- added the department tag to all content types so staff and the public can filter all content by department.
We’ve started to conduct research to learn more about how we can improve the Yukon.ca search experience and we’re planning out Phase 9 for the remainder of this fiscal year. We expect work to begin toward the end of this month.
Yukon immunize website
We’re working to support the redesign and enhancement of the existing Yukon immunize website during upcoming months. This project is currently in the discovery phase.
Yukon Water Board website
We’re working to build a new website for the Yukon Water Board. This will be an update to their existing website. Improvements will include:
- updating the design for greater simplicity and ease of use;
- rewriting the content to follow our style guide; and
- improving how documents are shared with board members and staff.
We’ve just completed the procurement process. Once the contract is in place, we’ll begin work on this project. We’re planning to launch this service later on this fall.
Citizen engagement
We’re in the process of procuring a longer term citizen engagement solution to facilitate efficient and interactive engagements between the government and citizens. We anticipate having the longer term platform in place this summer.
Open government
The open government portal is a single point of access for all open content the government publishes. It houses open data and open information.
Open data
As part of the transition to open government, we’ve migrated any resources that are not open data (structured, tabular machine readable content) to open information. Visit open data.
Open information
Open information includes reports and publications. It serves the function of the open access register and supports our commitment to disclose information before people ask for it. This year we plan to increase the volume and breadth of open access content. Visit open information.
Online services
We’re working with departments to deliver the following online services.
511
The new 511 Advanced Traveller Information Management System will replace our outdated 511 service. The new system will increase efficiencies in data management, and provide a safety-driven, user-friendly interface to the public. We’re currently working with the vendor to finalize the scope of the project.
Apply for Ember Fire Academy
We launched this new webform in May. In addition to other ways of applying to the academy, users can now apply online at their convenience. You can find it by going to Yukon.ca.
Authorizing inspections monitoring system (AIMES)
We’re looking to develop a tool for enforcement officers to authorize licenses and permits, and manage the permit lifecycle. Conservation officers will be able to use it in the field for enforcement, case management and to take legal action. We’re in the process of drafting the procurement documentation and anticipate having it out for tender this fall.
Boards and committees online service
This will be an online service to view, apply for and manage positions on government boards and committees. We’ve held a pre-discovery and we’re planning out the project and looking to secure a project manager to get started.
COVID-19 related online services
We’re currently working on the following COVID-19 online services:
- Book a COVID-19 test appointment (available in English, French and American Sign Language);
- Get a COVID-19 test result;
- Get a Covid-19 vaccination certificate (for Yukon residents);
- Book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment service;
- Provide feedback on your COVID-19 vaccination (now closed);
- Submit travel documents before entering Yukon during COVID 19; and
- SMS notification services for transiting travellers and self-isolation reminders.
Donate to Yukon Archives
This service launched to the public on June 17. Pre-launch work included adapting to changes in the archives processes, and also add full French translation. Access this service through Yukon.ca.
Energy-efficiency rebate service
This service is now live. Yukoners can access it through the government’s Good Energy website. There’s a link to conduct a virtual home energy assessment. Users can now select the option to “apply online” for any of the rebates for buildings and homes.
Improve online access to all government services
We’re continuing our work to provide citizens with a single online portal giving them access to the government’s:
- online services;
- information about services; and
- statements of how services share personal information.
Since our last update we’ve got a short-term statement of work from a vendor to work on the technology piece. We’ve been meeting with departments to investigate how to integrate the online portal with existing services.
Kindergarten pre-registration
We’re looking at rebuilding the current online kindergarten registration system. We hope to have this improved service live for the next student intake.
Landlord and tenant dispute-resolution service
We’re supporting a new effort to offer online services for landlord and tenant dispute resolution, as part of a larger multi-year automation project. Based on pre-discovery, it looks like this will be a multi-phased project. We’re leading a discovery workshop later this month.
Legislative drafting and publishing (iLaws)
We launched this new system for drafting and publishing Government of Yukon legislation in June. Access it through Yukon.ca.
Liquor licensing, inspections and permitting
This will be an online service for users and people who run facilities where liquor is served or sold. The public and businesses will be able to apply for liquor licenses online. The government will be able to process and enforce licenses. We’re testing this service and expect to launch it later on this summer for cannabis only. We’ll make a plan to include the liquor component once the new Liquor Act is enacted.
Lotteries Yukon digital service transformation
We’re developing a system that lets the public apply online for funding from Yukon Lotteries. Staff use this service to manage applications and their funding programs. We’re finalizing content and completing assessments and testing. We expect to launch in August.
Online Marketplace
The Online Marketplace will be an inventory from the government’s suppliers into a 1 online storefront where authorized personnel can make purchases. This will:
- streamline the process of getting a variety of supplies to the government;
- ensure negotiated discount levels are offered; and
- include support for local suppliers to improve their online presence.
We anticipate to launch by the beginning of 2022.
Pay rural property tax online
We launched improvements to this existing online service in May. These improvements include updating the back-end technologies we use to process payments. This service is seasonal and closed July 2nd, but it will re-open next year in May. Find out about paying rural property taxes on Yukon.ca.
Public supplier directory
The supplier directory application will be public-facing and have internal government functionality. This will make it easier to identify suppliers and their offerings. We anticipate we’ll launch this service by this fall.
Register a child for the school bus
Parents and guardians will be able to register a child to take a school bus using this online service. We expect this service to improve:
- the registration process;
- routing and scheduling; and
- how people receive bus status updates.
The negotiated RFP went out in June and we hope to award the contract this fall.
Service modernization
We’ve begun making short-term improvements to modernize how we manage government forms and other services. This will include internal processes, such as tracking project status and budgets. We’ll also make external-facing updates to how government forms are requested, updated, tracked and completed.
Focusing on “simple” webforms, we’ve developed a user journey. We’ll meet with stakeholders during the next weeks to get their input and learn about their experiences.
Student Financial Assistance
This is a major update to the online system that allows students to apply for financial assistance. Staff will use the system to:
- process applications;
- provide funding to students; and
- generate reports.
We’ve completed the discovery service assessment and work is underway. Our goal is to launch this service by the start of 2022.
Submit a class 3 or 4 pre- or post-season mining report
This will be an online service for pre- or post-season reports on mining permits. Information collected includes when mining work was done, and what sort of work was undertaken.
Submit a commercial timber harvest report
This will be a service where licensees will be able to submit their commercial timber harvest report online. The project team is testing a prototype of the online service and interactive voice response (IVR) phone service. This early stage user feedback will inform the next phase of the larger system development.
Updating the Department of Environment's licensing platform (elicensing)
We’re planning to make improvements to the department’s online licensing platform. Pending funding approval, project goals for this year include:
- implementing a new public-facing site;
- enabling external vendor access to the platform for improved counter service; and
- updating the security and privacy reviews for the platform.
Yukon land titles registry
The initial release of this service will allow for paid land title searches. The portal will be expanded to designated users, such as law firms. This summer we’ll be testing the service with the public and staff.
YuDriv system replacement
This is a 3-year project to build a single system to replace existing systems the Government of Yukon, City of Whitehorse Bylaw and the RCMP use. We’re currently working on technology and service design planning for the public-facing parts of this service.
So far this summer we’ve developed wireframes and shared our Yukon.ca Design System and online design patterns with the project team. We’ve also been collaborating with the vendor to make sure what gets built lines up with our standards.