Category: News

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario just announced they will be in Waterloo on May 31. If you are a health care organization or a child welfare entity (who will become subject to privacy rules in January 2020) it is always a good idea to attend these kinds of sessions –… Read more »

Tis the season for reflection of the year that’s been and anticipation of the year to come. How will you define success for 2019? That was the question posed to a group of over 100 lawyers at a course I launched with the Law Society of Ontario in December. The responses were personal and varied: Attend yoga… Read more »

I was scrolling around on social media the other day and there was a challenge posed by Twitter: “Pick two words from your bio. It’s your next tattoo.” For me, that’s easy to answer. Anyone who has attended training with me knows my signature phrase, “it depends“. When my health care clients ask me questions,… Read more »

So very excited to share with you my brand new video series for Privacy Officers in the health sector.  And it is FREE! Watch this video for all the information and to sign up Free Privacy Officer Training Video Series

Thrilled to be celebrating 2 years at Kate Dewhirst Health Law and Law2Life Coaching. This year has been amazing and also very difficult.  When asked, I’ve been answering, “It’s been the best of times and the worst of times.” The BEST! We welcomed dozens of new clients. The heart of our work is serving healthcare… Read more »

As of July 1st, Nurse Practitioners (nurses in the extended class) in Ontario must now report certain conditions and impairments that could negatively impact an individual’s ability to drive. NPs join physicians and optometrists in this mandatory reporting duty. For all my family health teams, nurse practitioner-led clinics, community health centres, Aboriginal Health Access Centres,… Read more »

Are you having any fun? I downloaded the Starbucks app this morning and ordered my coffee and egg bites to go.  Easy. When I got to the store I announced “Hi. This is my first time. I’m so excited.”  The 4 baristas shouted in unison “hooray!”  We all laughed. (Yes, I realize I’m a bit… Read more »

It is with great sadness that I announce my little sister, Beth Ferkranus, passed away over the holidays.  It was sudden and completely unexpected.  We are all devastated.  You can read her Obituary here. I want to thank everyone for your kindness and the outpouring of love we have received. Some of you know that my sisters are… Read more »

Thrilled to announce that I was one of the winners of Best New Blog – for the Clawbies, the Canadian Law Blog Awards for 2017. The Golden Globes for lawyers! Telling stories about my work and the intersection of health care and law is a privilege and brings me great joy. Thank you for the recognition… Read more »

Calling all FHTs, FHOs, NPLCs (and birth centres) – join me and Maria McDonald from McDonald HR Law for my 5th annual Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams which will launch January 2018. Here’s the line up: January 4 – Protected leaves of absence from the workplace (including the new domestic and sexual violence leave )… Read more »