What do you get when you combine the courage learned from working for a singer, the empathy gained from a national charity, and an unwavering belief that the best ideas come from the frontline? Meet Suzanne Holder, an innovation leader at the City of Mississauga who's proving that transformative change in government doesn't always require massive budgets; it requires listening, sharing, and building the right communities.
The Power of the $10,000 Idea
Suzanne's early innovation philosophy was forged during her time at the City of Guelph, where a forward-thinking CAO encouraged her to capture ideas directly from employees on the ground. The challenge? Many of the most impactful ideas were small—under $10,000—and consistently missed traditional budget cycles. These weren't flashy proposals, but they were the kind of community-focused improvements that could genuinely improve residents' lives.
Suzanne recognized that empowering employees to pilot small experiments could unlock innovation that top-down planning might never discover. But how do you scale this approach? How do you ensure good ideas don't die in bureaucratic limbo?
"It's about creating safe spaces for others. It's about creating those conditions, those fertile conditions for innovation to thrive."
Building a Movement: The Municipal Innovators Community
Rather than hoarding her project plans and frameworks, Suzanne did something less common – she gave them all away. This spirit of open sharing sparked something bigger: the Municipal Innovators Community (MIC), a national network dedicated to collaboration and "free-flowing ideation" across Canadian municipalities.
The mission was simple but profound: stop reinventing the wheel. When one city solves a problem, why shouldn't others benefit? The MIC became proof that municipalities are more powerful when their voices come together to affect change.
This philosophy aligns perfectly with the crowdsourcing model that platforms like HeroX champion – connecting challenges to a global community of nearly 400,000 solvers who bring diverse perspectives and cost-effective solutions.
Innovation That Puts Humans First
Some of the most meaningful innovations don't require cutting-edge technology. Take one of Suzanne's favorite projects: the Sunflower Initiative for Hidden Disabilities. The solution is elegantly simple, a lanyard that discreetly signals to transit staff and fellow passengers that someone may need extra kindness or assistance.
No app. No algorithm. Just human-centered design that restores dignity and accessibility.
This initiative mirrors the work HeroX is doing with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to crowdsource solutions that improve quality of life and access for disabled communities. Sometimes breakthrough innovation is about seeing a problem through fresh eyes and designing with empathy.
Rethinking Transit with Open Data
At Mississauga Transit, Suzanne is tackling the customer experience from multiple angles. Her team is revolutionizing wayfinding and predictability by moving from 4-minute data feeds to 4-second updates, and publishing everything through a GTFS open data feed so third-party developers can build solutions the city might never imagine.
This is the multiplier effect of open data: one municipality's investment becomes a platform for countless innovations. It's the digital equivalent of the MIC philosophy: share what you have, and watch others build something bigger and better.
Leading Through Action, Not Bureaucracy
Suzanne's leadership blueprint is refreshingly practical: encourage staff to "rethink everything," start with small pilots ("it's not forever, just try it"), and translate pain points into actionable solutions. The key? Assign an accountable champion and cultivate shared ownership.
"It's really about building a community of innovators that are more powerful when our voices come together to affect change, rather than just trying to work away, toiling away in a corner off the side of your desk by yourself."
The Fiscal Reality: Doing More with Less
Let's address the elephant often in municipal budget meetings: lean fiscal years and rising service delivery costs. Cities need economical solutions, and they need them yesterday.
This is where Suzanne's philosophy of "leverage somebody else's stuff to do something even bigger and better" becomes transformative. Why build from scratch when you can tap into external expertise? Platforms like HeroX bridge this gap, connecting municipalities to a global network of innovators who can deliver inventive, cost-effective solutions, from AI-powered operational efficiencies to hyper-localized community challenges.
Take the Midland AI wastewater case study as an example, or imagine a co-designed HeroX challenge that engages students, academia, and civic tech startups to solve Mississauga's toughest operational problems.
"It's about helping other people, and it's about inspiring others, and it's about this free-flowing ideation... leverage somebody else's stuff to do something even bigger and better."
The Future is Collaborative
Municipal innovation isn't about lone heroes working miracles. It's about leaders like Suzanne who build communities, create safe spaces for experimentation, and recognize that the best solutions often come from unexpected places; whether that's a frontline employee, an open data developer, or a global solver on a crowdsourcing platform.
Ready to Find Your City's Next Breakthrough?
If you're an innovation leader facing tough municipal challenges, from improving transit efficiency to tackling hyper-localized community issues, it's time to explore how crowdsourcing can unlock solutions you haven't imagined yet.
Watch the full HeroX Speaker Series conversation with Suzanne Holder to learn more about her approach to building innovation communities and discover how platforms like HeroX can connect you to the diverse, global community of problem-solvers that modern cities need.
- Municipal Innovators Community: http://municipalinnovatorscommunity.ca/
- Explore the HeroX Innovation Leadership Speaker Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQtyw_9NmiwHSzz-rsFLv9xOzaWc9Zo5_
- Connect With the Speakers
- Suzanne Holder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sholderpmp/
- Jamie Elliott (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-elliott/
