Ever wondered what your neighbours get up to while you're at work?  Is there anything exciting happening on your street while you're out of town? Did they really knock that old house down? You'll soon be able to find out.

Google Streetview is coming soon to a neighbourhood near you. In fact, it's coming to 11 Canadian cities and two of them are right here in Waterloo Region. Residents of streets in both Kitchener and Waterloo will be able to see 360 degree views of their neighbourhoods. The two local cities will be visible to the rest of the world along with Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, Vancouver, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Squamish, Whistler, Ottawa and Hamilton. Another interesting location on the list is Banff National Park which should provide some pretty year round viewing.

This is Canada, of course, and so in recognition of our strict privacy rules, apparently faces and licence plates will be blurred and you can also ask to have your image removed if you really feel the need to. I admit I looked up my house on Google Earth once, just to prove it was there, and it was comforting to see that it was right where it should have been.

Since technology has had such a huge impact on this area, it's probably fitting that Google has initially chosen to share a sizeable chunk of the Region with the rest of the world. I bid you Happy Viewing - in case anyone is watching, where's that lawnmower??

If you have any comments or thoughts you'd like to share, do not hesitate to contact me at carol@workforceplanningboard.com