Just when you thought it was safe … a new class action was recently certified after a health privacy breach at a hospital in Ontario. Here’s what every health Privacy Officer needs to know. Stewart v. Demme and William Osler Health System (2020) “The central question … is whether a privacy violation can be “highly… Read more »

Yesterday was Privacy Day. I came to work and saw a new email newsletter from the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. It opened … “Today is Privacy Day. It also marks my last Privacy Day as the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. As my term comes to an end, my thoughts turn to… Read more »

In this series, I want to share the journey and stories of health Privacy Officers. I am surrounded by amazing leaders in the health community and I am inspired to share their stories! We are the trust builders.  Privacy Officers assist their organizations to earn the trust of their clients, patients, residents and consumers and… Read more »

I’m a little late announcing this, but I was thrilled to be invited to participate in the 4th Edition of Public Health Law and Policy in Canada, which was published last year. Elaine Gibson from Dalhousie University and I wrote a chapter called “Public Health Information Privacy and Confidentiality”. In it we address the topics… Read more »

If there is something in your heart that is calling you forward – go for it. If you are nervous about making a decision, ask yourself if it aligns with the vision you have for your future self. If it does, do it. Growth is hard sometimes. Growth is uncertain. And…this is it. This is… Read more »

Client: I have a quick question for you. … Can I do <enter question that seems perfectly straightforward to client>? Lawyer:  hmmmmm.  It depends. Client: Grrrrrrrr.  Why can you never just tell me yes or no?! We all know this dance.  Clients ask questions. Lawyers give equivocal answers. Why does this happen? Honestly, we the… Read more »

Thrilled to have been interviewed by the Law Society of Ontario for their first podcast episode of Things CAN Change for the Coach and Advisor Network. Click here to listen. I have been a coach and advisor with the Law Society since 2016. They were interviewing me about my practice, how things in my practice… Read more »

It’s not enough for health care organizations to respect patient privacy rights.  I believe we have an obligation to help our patients understand those rights and activate them. There is a definite power imbalance between health care providers and patients when it comes to their understanding of privacy. Patients (and their caregivers) don’t receive a… Read more »

First of all – it’s time to celebrate. There have been now more than 100 decisions of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario on health privacy.  That’s a celebratory day in my office.  (Note: the IPC did not publish Decision 100 today – so I’ve got to celebrate Decision 101 instead!) Okay – back… Read more »

Stay with me.  This might be a bit bumpy.  Let’s have a deep conversation about consent. And by consent, I mean consent in a health care context. Consent for treatment or for privacy decisions. I recently watched an interview with Elizabeth Gilbert and Marie Forleo. In talking about her book, City of Girls, Elizabeth said… Read more »