A new public opinion poll shows 55 per cent of Torontonians support Sidewalk Labs’ proposal to create a data-driven “smart city” on Toronto’s waterfront.

The online poll by Environics Research conducted Feb. 6 to 11 and commissioned by the Toronto Region Board of Trade indicates that of the 600 people surveyed, 41 per cent “somewhat support” the project, while 14 per cent strongly support it.

Meanwhile, 8 per cent of respondents said they “somewhat oppose” the project, 3 per cent voiced strong opposition and 34 per cent said they don’t know how they feel or have no opinion about the project.

All were asked the question: “Knowing what you know about Waterfront Toronto, Sidewalk Labs and the Quayside project, do you support or oppose (it)?”

The survey found that only 50 per cent of respondents had heard about the Quayside project, while 13 per cent weren’t sure they had, and 37 per cent hadn’t heard.

The survey was done prior to the Star recently obtaining leaked documents showing that Quayside is part of Sidewalk Labs’ grander vision — developing 350 acres in the Port Lands, financing projects such as a new LRT up front and getting paid back later through property taxes and development charges that normally go to municipal coffers.

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Noting the survey was done before the Star story, Brian Kelcey, the board of trade’s vice-president of public affairs, said “even if opposition somehow doubled in the short time since the poll was completed, that still leaves only a fraction of Torontonians who are strongly opposed to this project.”

President and CEO Jan De Silva said the board is pleased Sidewalk Labs has a shot at bringing forward an innovative idea, but she added her organization’s support “isn’t unconditional” and added that issues such as data governance must be resolved as Sidewalk develops its plans.

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The new Environics poll also found that 64 per cent of all respondents said they see Toronto’s growth as a centre for technology companies as a good thing.

And seven in 10 respondents (71 per cent) said that smart city data should only ever be under public control, while 30 per cent said allowing private organizations to be able to access the data of citizens is a “reasonable tradeoff” for the advancement and efficiencies that would come from adopting smart city technologies.

The Quayside project involves a joint partnership between the tri-government corporation Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs, a U.S.-based urban innovation firm that is a sister company of tech giant Google.

Sidewalk is working on a proposal to build a residential development near Parliament St. and Queens Quay, and the company wants the project to incorporate data collection and sensors to make every day life more efficient. Sidewalk’s plan, expected later this year, requires approval from Waterfront Toronto.

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A whopping 76 per cent of respondents to the Environics survey said the partnership between Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto should continue if it leads to innovative solutions to problems like traffic congestion and Toronto’s housing affordability challenges.

The survey doesn’t provide a margin of error.

Nasma Ahmed, a tech expert who opposes the Sidewalk Labs project and who operates a non-profit pushing for justice in the digital realm, said she’s pleased to see survey respondents bolstering the view there should be public ownership when it comes to data collection.

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