The builder's path
For: People who walk in St. John's can't use the sidewalks for days after a big storm.
“Some things are under our control, while others are not under our control.”
Routes to a solution
Each route is a different kind of journey, with real people and organisations to contact at each step, starting with those in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Step 1
Join an incubator or startup mission
They connect you to schemes and officials.
Newfoundland and Labrador's startup incubator: programmes, mentors and community.
Federal funding and advice for Atlantic Canadian businesses.
How the Newfoundland and Labrador government buys; open calls are posted here.
Startup loans and mentoring for founders aged 18 to 39.
Step 2
Win a seed grant
Prove the idea works with a small, funded prototype.
Federal funding and advice for Atlantic Canadian businesses.
Advice and funding for technology innovation in Canada.
Funded research internships linking students with organisations.
Startup loans and mentoring for founders aged 18 to 39.
Step 3
Pilot with a public body
A district, city or department tries it with real people.
Federal funding and advice for Atlantic Canadian businesses.
How the Newfoundland and Labrador government buys; open calls are posted here.
Civic tech: technologists working with governments on public services.
Where the federal government posts its tenders; search by region and category.
Ideas, sources and tools for this problem, from first interviews to funding.
the city's snow clearing page with links to its maps
the city's map of sidewalk snow clearing
the city's map of snow removal
which streets and sidewalks the city clears first
Runs sidewalk clearing and publishes the maps a tool would read.
People with mobility needs are hit hardest and can say which routes matter.
Starter prompt
Built from this problem's brief. Paste it into Claude or any AI assistant.
Help me design and build a first working prototype for this problem in St. John's. Problem: People who walk in St. John's can't use the sidewalks for days after a big storm. Who it hurts: Pedestrians and people with mobility needs in St. John's. The moment it hurts: After 56 to 74 cm of snow in February 2026, sidewalks took longer than five days to clear. What solved looks like: A pedestrian can see which sidewalks on their route are cleared and when the rest will be. Where: St. John's First, list what you would need to learn from the people affected before building, as interview questions. Then propose the simplest version that would help, the screens or messages it needs, and the data it would use. Keep it cheap to run, accessible, and respectful of people's privacy. Flag anything you are unsure about instead of guessing.
Talk to the people who live it before you build.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ
Get a working version in front of people fast.
Using AI is not cheating. Every tool carries the work of the people who made it, and using it well is how knowledge has always moved forward. The thinking, the care for the people who live the problem, and the judgement are still yours.
“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.”
Open data that fits this problem.
“In the fields of observation chance favours only the prepared mind.”
Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés.
Tools matched to what this problem needs.
“We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants; we see more, and things more distant, not by our own sharp sight but because we are lifted up by their greatness.”
Ship it responsibly, and find help and funding.
“Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth.”
δός μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω
Kit written for this problem from its brief; every link was checked. Links go to each provider's own site. Zetema is not paid for any listing.