makersloungeBuild a better
Toronto in
a weekend.
In 2022, Toronto developers rebuilt the ArriveCan app in under 48 hours. Imagine what we could build for this city in two days. Teams and mentors spend the weekend building an app, a working prototype, or a plan that makes City Hall work better.
The city has problems worth solving.
Toronto is heading into a municipal election. These numbers are the reason this weekend exists. Pick one, bring a team, and build something City Hall can actually use.
- Housing↓10%
Housing starts are down 10% year over year. Toronto is building fewer homes while demand keeps climbing.
- Transit↑53%
Subway delay time is up 53%. Riders are losing more hours on the platform than ever.
- Safer streets70%
70% of Torontonians say they are worried about crime. Safety is the top issue at the door.
- Municipal government48 hrs
What a weekend of focused building can produce. Services, budgets and processes at City Hall are overdue for a rethink.
Pick your fight.
Build tools that help residents with daily problems, or build the policy, service or budget idea that City Hall could act on. Both count. Both can win.
- Track 01
Housing
Faster approvals, better data on what gets built where, tools for renters and first-time buyers, and plans to get housing starts moving again.
- Track 02
Transit
Delay tracking, service reliability, rider feedback loops, and the operational or budget changes that make the TTC run on time.
- Track 03
Safer streets
Community safety, lighting and road design, response times, and the neighbourhood-level tools that help people feel safe where they live.
- Track 04
Efficient government
Cut the friction out of City services. Procurement, permits, 311, budgets, and anything that makes the City move faster for less.
Close the loop on 311.
Build a reporting mechanism that lets residents flag a problem, see it land with the right department, and track the City's response until it's fixed. Simple to describe, hard to do well, and exactly the kind of thing that gets adopted.
Apply. Build. Present.
Builders apply as a team with an idea. Solo, or a team of two or three? Still apply. We'll match you with teammates and a mentor before the weekend starts.
- 01
Apply with an idea
Tell us which track you're building in and who's on your team. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so earlier is better.
Closes Tue Oct 20 · 11:59pm - 02
Build with a mentor
Saturday opens with panels and roundtables with Toronto tech and policy leaders. Then building starts, with mentor hours, dinner and a late-night meal.
Sat Oct 24 · 11:30am to midnight - 03
Present at the finale
Final sprints Sunday morning, submissions at noon, and the closing finale in the afternoon where the winner is announced.
Sun Oct 25 · 8:00am to 3:45pm
After the election, the best work goes to City Hall.
This isn't a demo for a demo's sake. The winning app, prototype or policy plan gets put in front of the people who can act on it.
Two days, one deliverable.
Downtown Toronto. The exact address is sent on acceptance. Meals are on us, including the late-night one.
Saturday, Oct 24
- 11:30amDoors open, casual networking
- 12:00pmLunch
- 12:30pmPanel 1Policy tech
- 1:00pmPanel 2Fintech
- 1:30pmPanel 3City building
- 2:00pmRoundtables with panelists
- 2:30pmBuilder kickoff with mentors
- 3:00pmBuilding starts
- 6:30pmMentor hours
- 7:30pmDinner
- 12:00amLate-night meal
Sunday, Oct 25
- 8:00amBreakfast, then final sprints
- 9:00amMentor hoursUntil 10:00am
- 12:00pmSubmissions due
- 12:15pmRoundtable over lunch
- 3:00pmClosing finale
- 3:30pmWinner announced
- 3:45pmNetworking and closing
Builders first. Everyone else welcome.
All tickets are approval or invitation based. Pick the role that fits. Not sure where you fit? Request to join on Luma and tell us a bit about yourself.
- The core of the weekend
Builders
Students and early-career builders who want to spend a weekend on a team shipping something real for the city. Apply with a team and an idea, or solo and we'll match you. Developers, designers, policy students and operators all belong here.
Apply by Oct 20Builder application - Guide a team
Mentors
Engineers, designers, and policy or city-building experts who want to sit with a team, unblock them, and push the work toward something City Hall can use.
Approval requiredRequest on Luma - Share what you know
Speakers & panelists
Leaders in policy tech, fintech and city building who want to speak on a Saturday panel or lead a roundtable.
InvitationRequest on Luma - See the work
VIP guests
Invited executives, investors and civic leaders joining for the panels, roundtables and the Sunday finale.
Invitation onlyRequest on Luma
Run by people who live here.
Three Torontonians who think the city deserves better tools and better plans, and that a weekend is enough time to prove it.
Let's build a better Toronto.
We're looking for builders. Apply as a team, or apply solo and we'll match you. Applications are reviewed as they come in, and spots fill before the deadline.