Unlike any other portal deployment in the municipal environment, the Wellington-Guelph Community Portal empowers partners and community members through collaborative content creation and implements cooperative governance structures. No off-the-shelf technology could have possibly delivered the vital level of collaboration needed to support the entire community, now breaching the 175,000 constituent mark. The momentous endeavor required intensive customization and the implementation of a collaborative content management system model, critical in filling the void between the current limitations of “leading-edge” technology and the collaborative content authoring and cooperative governance requirements. The Wellington-Guelph Community Portal structure, now extended, enables the entire population to author connective content linked to a common governance module to ensure even distribution and scheduling of all portal content. The result is a collaborative community functioning in connected synergy with the economic development strategies and forward-focused initiatives, setting a benchmark for communities worldwide. The Wellington-Guelph Community Portal is a space for citizens, visitors and the curious to participate in the history, diversity, opportunity and regional services that the Wellington-Guelph area offers. The information within the portal is the contributed by members and partners of the community. The goal is to connect the audience to the many businesses, organizations, services and events happening within Wellington County. The Wellington-Guelph Community Portal embodies the true definition of a citizen-centric portal by extending ownership and governance to community-based partners and contributing members. For citizens, the portal is the first source for targeted local information, also revered as the one-stop-shop for community services. For visitors and prospective constituents, the portal functions as the Community’s showcase window providing a glimpse into the bountiful culture, rich heritage and copious attractions. The portal places the once overlooked region into the worldwide spotlight. The portal channels support and revenue to local non-profit groups and businesses. A simple online signup process and intuitive posting creation interface generates a targeted online presence. Member postings promote their independent marketing initiatives while supporting the holistic marketing plan for economic development of the Wellington-Guelph Community. Robust searching capabilities allow users to query community information and services by interest category, keyword, partner and location. The targeted results allow users to visualize the connection between the region and the information provider. Throughout the portal, dynamic content enriches the user experience and the overall community visibility. For example, the homepage showcases various events and attractions within the Scene from Wellington-Guelph section. The portal maintains the core uniformity while actively engaging users with revolving, community-centric content for the growth of tourism and citizen involvement. Planning an event in its own rite is hard enough. Add publicity and advertising into the mix and it becomes an exhaustive and overwhelming project. The Wellington-Guelph Community Portal supports collaborative event PR and advertising campaigns and facilitates cooperative efforts, lending access to key audiences - locally and worldwide. The Wellington-Guelph Community Portal empowers the community partner’s and member’s economic development strategies, through successful execution of independent and cooperative marketing initiatives. The Wellington-Guelph Community Portal markets the entire region by implementing innovative technology to showcase the diversity, vibrancy and opportunity of the region through the collaborative efforts of the entire community. As the portal continues to evolve, the Wellington-Guelph Community Portal will continue to drive forward collaborative citizen-centric initiatives, in turn raising the benchmark for communities worldwide.