Kingston named one of the world's Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2025

Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) has named Kingston as one of the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2025, a prestigious recognition for cities that go from Smart to Intelligent by going beyond IT infrastructure to fostering an innovation ecosystem where businesses, government, and institutional partners create high-quality employment and build inclusive prosperity. The announcement was made at the ICF 2025 Top7 Conference & Announcement, in Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain.

“Being recognized by the Intelligent Community Forum highlights Kingston’s dedication to using technology and collaboration to build a vibrant, forward-looking community,” said Mayor Bryan Paterson. “This honour reflects the collective efforts of our businesses, institutions, and residents who make Kingston such a special place to call home.”

Kingston joins six other communities – Assaí, Paraná, Brazil; Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, Türkiye; Durham Region, Ontario, Canada; Fairfield/Jefferson County, Iowa, USA; Hilliard, Ohio, USA; and Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain – worldwide in receiving this distinguished honour. ICF's comprehensive evaluation analyzes hundreds of cities and regions globally and selects the Top7 Intelligent Communities based on ICF's Community Accelerator Strategy framework which evaluates communities on their connectivity, innovation, digital equality, sustainability, advocacy, and engagement.

"This Top7 recognition is a great honour that reflects Kingston's commitment to being more than just a smart city, but a place where residents and businesses can prosper" said Donna Gillespie, CEO of Kingston Economic Development Corporation. "We've focused on developing our workforce, fostering innovation ecosystems, and ensuring digital inclusion. This recognition validates our strategic approach to leveraging our unique assets to create meaningful economic and social impact."

“This recognition speaks to a decision made decades ago to think differently about connectivity,” said Kevin McCauley, Director of Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure, Utilities Kingston. “Our fibre business was founded on the belief that local, reliable infrastructure could empower Kingston to compete, collaborate and grow. That vision continues to guide us as we expand the network to meet the evolving needs of our community and support the innovation and reliability that define Kingston’s future.” Today, Utilities Kingston’s fibre network is a vital part of the city’s digital infrastructure. What began as a local solution has become a key enabler of innovation, economic opportunity and digital inclusion. As part of a broader vision, it reflects the strategic investment that is helping Kingston move beyond technology to build a more connected, sustainable and inclusive community.

As part of the Top7 Conference, Mayor Paterson joined Jose de la Uz, Mayor of Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain who moderated a panel with other community leaders from around the world: Álvaro Castillo, Mayor, Ibarra City Council, Ecuador; Dario Paixão, Presidente, Agência Curitiba de Desenvolvimento e Inovação SA; Diego Uceda, Mayor, La Molina City Council, Peru. The panel, titled Smart Leadership Roundtable, featured leaders who are leading their cities through rapid technological and social change.

In March this year, Kingston reclaimed its ranking as one of 21Smart Communities of 2025. The city was first recognized by ICF as one of the 21Smart Communities in 2009, five years later in 2014 it again received this distinction as well as being named one of the Top7 Intelligent Communities.

The Top7 recognition reinforces Kingston's position as a global leader in community innovation and sustainable economic development, celebrating the community's strategic investments in digital infrastructure, workforce development, and inclusive growth initiatives.

Media Contacts

Daniel Solorio
Marketing & Communications Manager
Kingston Economic Development Corporation
613-329-9270
Solorio@InvestKingston.ca

Julia Morbin
Communications & Community Relations Coordinator
Mayor’s Office, City of Kingston
JMorbin@CityofKingston.ca

Nancie Knight
Manager, Communications and Customer Care
Utilities Kingston
NLKnight@UtilitiesKingston.com

Jen Pinarski
Manager, Communications and Public Engagement
City of Kingston
Communications@CityofKingston.ca

About Kingston Economic Development Corporation

Kingston Economic Development Corporation is focused on building a strong community and supporting Kingston’s thriving economy. Its mission is to provide dynamic and collaborative leadership by leveraging Kingston's unique assets to create jobs and investments in order to sustain, grow, and transform Kingston's economy to meet the needs of the 21st century.

About Utilities Kingston

Utilities Kingston operates multiple utilities through a single service structure, allowing it to deliver cost savings and customer service excellence. The company is unique in Ontario, combining water, wastewater, natural gas, electricity, and telecommunications services in one company. Trusted by customers to deliver reliable utilities for more than 150 years, employees are proud to provide personal, responsive services. You can count on us!