Selected Topics in Personal Privacy And Access to Information

Canada has had access to information legislation and privacy laws in place for decades, but new technologies are constantly giving rise to new issues that, frequently, the law has not addressed. The fact that much information now flows easily across borders via the Internet also means that domestic regimes to address specific issues may simply be ineffective. Panelists in this session will each discuss a discrete issue related to access to information or personal privacy, exploring the challenges ahead and how we can address them.

• Colin McKay, Counsel, Google
• Graeme Norton, Director, Public Safety Program, Canadian Civil Liberties Association
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• Micheal Vonn, Policy Director, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
• Frank Work, Alberta Privacy Commissioner
• Moderator: David Eby, Executive Director, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association

This session will be held on Saturday, October 22nd.

Speaker Bios

Colin McKay, Counsel, Google

Colin is on Google’s global public policy team, where he tries to keep the internet brimming with discovery and delight. He has developed initiatives focused on data protection, science and technology, innovation policy, intellectual property and open government. Most recently, he was the Director, Research, Education and Outreach with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Always fascinated by information networks and new technology, he blogs and tweets more than he probably should. As a pre-teen, he preferred his Star Wars digital watch to the Casio calculator watch. Colin has an M.A in international relations from the University of Toronto, although his understanding of politics was largely shaped by Monty Python.

Graeme Norton, Director, Public Safety Program, Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Graeme Norton joined the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in June 2007 as the Director of CCLA’s Public Safety Program. His work with CCLA involves providing the Association with legal opinions and research, coordinating interventions in court cases, preparing submissions to legislative committees and other public bodies. Prior to joining CCLA, Graeme articled and practiced law with a Toronto-based labour law firm. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto in 2005, and holds Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Political Science, both also from U of T.

Micheal Vonn, Policy Director, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association

Micheal Vonn is a lawyer and has been the Policy Director of the BCCLA since 2004. She has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in the Faculty of Law and in the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies where she has taught civil liberties and information ethics. She is a regular guest instructor for UBC’s College of Health Disciplines Interdisciplinary Elective in HIV/AIDS Care and was honoured as a recipient of the 2010 AccolAIDS award for social and political advocacy benefitting communities affected by HIV/AIDS. Ms. Vonn is a frequent speaker on a variety of civil liberties topics including privacy, national security, policing, surveillance and free speech. She is an Advisory Board Member of Privacy International.

Frank Work, Alberta Privacy Commissioner

Mr. Work was born in Calgary, received his Bachelors and Masters Degree in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary and obtained a law degree in 1981 from McGill University. After a brief stint practicing corporate commercial law in Calgary, Mr. Work had the opportunity to work for the Attorney General of Bermuda. During his time in Bermuda, Mr. Work was seconded to the United Nations Environmental Program. After returning to Canada in 1987, Mr. Work took a contract position with the World Bank and was assigned to the country of Mauritius. There he worked with the Minister of Environment, Executive Council, and various aid agencies in developing environmental policy and law. From 1991 to 1996 Mr. Work worked as Parliamentary Counsel to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and spent time working as General Counsel to the Ethics Commissioner of Alberta. In 1996 Mr. Work began his career at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner as General Counsel and Assistant Commissioner. Mr. Work was appointed as Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner in September 2001 and was subsequently appointed Information and Privacy Commissioner in May 2002.

David Eby, Executive Director, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association

David Eby is a lawyer and is the Executive Director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, one of Canada’s most active human and democratic rights organizations. An adjunct professor of law at the University of British Columbia, President of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, David was this year’s winner of the B.C. Human Rights Coalition and U.N. Association in Canada’s Renate Shearer Award for his contributions to the human rights field locally and internationally. This year, he was selected by Lawyers’ Weekly Magazine as one of Canada’s most influential lawyers on social media. David focuses his work on reforming public policy that disproportionately impacts poor, mentally ill, homeless, addicted and otherwise marginalized people. His reports and advocacy have contributed to major shifts in government policy related to homelessness, provincial housing and police accountability, including an end to the system of police self-investigation in B.C., the end of invasive sexual testing of young offenders by Corrections B.C., and the purchase by the Province of B.C. of hundreds of units of privately owned low-income rental housing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.