Organizing Data, Optimizing Budgets: How Kitchener’s Shinydocs is Helping Canadian Municipalities Take Control of Their Information

For municipalities across Canada, managing digital records is no longer just about organization—it has become an issue of efficiency, compliance, and cost control. Local governments oversee vast amounts of information, from council meeting minutes to land use records, financial statements, and citizen inquiries. Yet many municipalities operate with fragmented storage systems, redundant files, and outdated retrieval methods that slow down operations and increase administrative costs.

Shinydocs, a Kitchener-based data intelligence company, is working to change that. By helping municipalities automate, categorize, and centralize their records, the company is giving governments a way to streamline workflows, improve compliance, and access critical information with ease. The shift is particularly significant as municipalities face increasing pressure to modernize operations while working within tight budgets.

The County of Newell, a rural municipality in Alberta that serves 7,500 residents across nearly 6,000 square kilometres, had been struggling with an overwhelming backlog of digital records. With 86 per cent of documents left unmanaged, municipal staff frequently found themselves searching through disconnected databases, network drives, and email archives to locate information. Clearing the backlog using traditional methods would have taken an estimated 20 years—an impractical timeline for a municipality expected to deliver efficient services.

Working with Shinydocs, the county embarked on a digital transformation effort to bring order to its records. Using document management automation, Newell scanned, classified, and organized over 4.1 million documents. The effort not only ensured that key municipal records were stored securely and in compliance with Alberta’s Municipal Government Act, but also helped reduce storage costs by 27 per cent and improved staff productivity, saving more than 10,000 hours annually.

The changes have already yielded significant financial benefits. The county estimates it saved more than $400,000 in its first year of using the new system, a figure that far exceeds the initial investment in the project. What would have taken two decades was achieved in just one year.

For municipalities across the country, the case highlights the growing need for smarter data management. Canadian municipalities are under pressure to improve service delivery, manage compliance requirements, and work within constrained budgets. The ability to manage records efficiently has shifted from an IT concern to a financial imperative. Municipal leaders are increasingly recognizing that time spent searching for information, managing outdated files, or struggling with compliance could be better spent on frontline service delivery.

Roberta Fernell, Director of Information & Technology Services at the County of Newell, views the impact as transformative: “Shinydocs has achieved what years of dedicated service capacity could not—bringing records management to County documents across all unmanaged repositories through automation, visibility, and enhanced search capabilities.”

For Shinydocs founder and CEO Jason Cassidy, he believes that better data management is one of the most overlooked opportunities for municipalities looking to optimize their budgets. “Every municipality faces the same challenge—millions of unmanaged records, scattered across different platforms, slowing down operations and increasing costs,” he says. “By automating records management, we help local governments reduce risk, save money, and free up staff to focus on what matters most—delivering great public services.”

Beyond the technological efficiencies, Shinydocs’ success in municipalities like Newell highlights the advantage of working with a company that understands the nuances of local government. As a Canadian firm, the company is well-positioned to develop solutions that align with provincial regulations, public sector compliance standards, and the day-to-day realities of municipal operations. That local knowledge has helped build trust with municipal clients, many of whom are navigating similar digital transformation challenges.

As more municipalities look for ways to modernize their operations, Shinydocs is offering a glimpse into what the future of government records management could look like. By applying automation, AI, and structured data practices, the company is demonstrating that digital transformation is not just about organizing files—it is about making municipalities more efficient, cost-effective, and responsive to the needs of their residents.

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This article is part of CCI’s new “By Canadian Innovators” series, which showcases how members of the Council of Canadian Innovators work with homegrown companies to fuel their growth and make Canada more prosperous. Each story in this series highlights the unique contributions of these companies to building a more prosperous, innovation-driven economy. To learn more about the companies CCI works with to build a more prosperous Canada, visit our member directory.

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