35 minutes saved per inspection. 4.5 hours recovered at a single event. 10+ additional inspection capacity created per inspector each year. Niagara Region Public Health helped build Hedgehog Field - and the results speak for themselves.
Lessons from Niagara Region Public Health
For years, completing a public health inspection in Niagara Region meant doing the job twice. Once in the field. Once back at the office, re-entering everything into a system that couldn't follow you out the door.
Gillian Dilts, who has managed environmental health inspections across 12 municipalities for 15 years, knew exactly what that duplication was costing her team. When Niagara became the first health unit in Canada to go live on Hedgehog Field, she finally had a number to put on it.
"A 35-minute savings per inspection. That's huge."
Gillian Dilts is the environmental health manager of Niagara Region Public Health
The Hidden Tax of Every Inspection
Every inspection came with a hidden tax. Paper forms completed on site, then re-entered at the office. Duty books duplicating notes that already existed elsewhere. Portable printers in every vehicle. A 25-vendor special event could consume 4.5 hours of administrative time the following day - transcribing, chasing hard copies, mailing reports. High-risk food premise inspections averaged 1.5 hours each. Much of that had nothing to do with inspecting anything.
They Didn't Just Adopt it. They Shaped it.
Niagara didn't just adopt Hedgehog Field. They helped build it - bringing frontline inspectors into product conversations from day one, requesting features that actually mattered in the field: in-site facility creation, beach water sampling entry, photo capture that attaches directly to a report without emailing it to yourself first.
The result was a product staff wanted to use. "A lot of people just use their cell phone for everything," Gillian says. "One less thing to carry. I can just do it from my phone."
Niagara & Hedgehog Field Results
An Intentional Rollout
Technology rollouts in public health don't fail because of bad software. Gillian's approach was deliberate: involve frontline staff early so they see their own ideas in the product, pilot small before expanding, and frame the rollout as evergreen - continuous improvement, not a one-time launch. "We did a slow build in terms of what they were using it for," she explains. "Now that staff are more comfortable, we're pushing to use it in more settings."
The staff favorite? Voice-to-text. One inspector had joked for years about wanting a dictaphone. Gillian got to deliver the news personally.
Going First is Easier with the Right Partner
Going first is never easy. Before a single inspector opened the app, Niagara navigated IT security reviews, privacy impact assessments, VPN compatibility issues, and a team that ranged from early adopters to skeptics. The Hedgerow team was in it with them at every step.
"It's always been a very mutual relationship," Gillian says. "When we hit a wall, it's as easy as a quick email. They jump on a Teams call and troubleshoot with us."
Hedgerow reviewed Niagara's training materials before they went to staff. When Android device issues surfaced mid-rollout, engineers worked through it in real time. When reporting requirements shifted and new form fields were needed, the teams figured it out together. And when the product needed to navigate Niagara's legal, cybersecurity, and privacy teams, Hedgerow showed up for those conversations too.
The relationship didn't end at go-live. Quarterly check-ins keep the feedback loop open, and Niagara's input continues to shape the product roadmap for every health unit that follows.
The Path is Paved
Niagara launched in September 2023 - first in Ontario, first in Canada. Gillian has already presented at the Ontario Hedgehog User Group and is direct about her advice:
"This is a service built from the ground up for this exact work. At the end of the day, you want to make it easier for your staff in the field."
If your team is still carrying printers and re-entering notes from duty books, the math is straightforward. Thirty-five minutes per inspection adds up fast.
Niagara Region Public Health uses Hedgehog Software, a GovPilot company, across 12 municipalities serving 500,000+ residents and 14 million annual tourists.
