Info Matters

Dr. Jacquelyn Burkell is a Professor in the Faculty of Information & Media Studies at Western University and the IPC’s Scholar-in-Residence for 2026-2027.  Her research focuses on the social impact of technology, examining how technological mediation changes social interaction and information behaviour. She is particularly interested in how predictable decision-making capacities and tendencies, pa...

Dr. Amol Verma is a physician and scientist in General Internal Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Temerty Professor of AI Research and Education in Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Verma co-founded and co-leads GEMINI , Canada’s largest hospital clinical data research network. Objectives of GEMINI, using data to improve the quality of care [1:49] Digitization of health care and...

Elizabeth Denham is an internationally recognized leader in privacy and data protection. She served as the UK Information Commissioner from 2016 to 2021, seeing the office through a period of significant technological and regulatory change, including the implementation of modern data protection laws. Earlier in her career, she served as Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia. She...

Students from Westboro Academy discuss what privacy means to them [00:52] Cynthia Khoo is a technology and human rights lawyer explains the privacy risks of facial recognition technology [3:37] Robert Fabes of The Ottawa Mission shares insights on the barriers people experiencing homelessness face and how to provide access to essential services while respecting their privacy and dignity [8:07]  Dr...

In this episode, Commissioner Patricia Kosseim delves into significant health privacy cases of 2024 with her colleagues from the IPC. The conversation highlights challenges, practical takeaways, and lessons learned from recent cases and investigations under Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act. Whether you're a health care provider, privacy professional, or legal expert, this episo...

Anthony Carabache is a staff officer in the Professional Development Department at Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. Journey from educational assistant to becoming a resource teacher focused on integrating technology in the classroom. [2:22] Examples of artificial intelligence being used by teachers and students [6:05] Privatization in public education through third-party tools and ap...

Jeff Ward , is the CEO of Animikii and a member of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence working group on responsible AI. His areas of expertise encompass the development of technology solutions tailored for Indigenous communities and organizations and the integration of traditional Indigenous values and culture into modern business practices.  The “move slow and empower people” philos...

Guests and Transparency Showcase exhibits Council of Ontario Universities Steve Orsini, President and CEO Josh Lovell, Director, Policy and Planning  Town of Innisfil Mike Melinyshyn, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Corporate Services and Innovation Damien Mainprize, Business Performance Specialist Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Andrea Roberts, Director, Informati...

Mediation is a powerful and efficient way to resolve freedom of information appeals. This episode explores the value-add of mediation and how building trust, active listening, and education can lead to win-win settlements for both parties. Commissioner Kosseim speaks with Shaun Sanderson, a mediator at the IPC, about how mediation works, what parties should do to prepare, and what they can expect...

Timely information sharing is crucial to prevent harm resulting from intimate partner violence (IPV). Sometimes, however, professionals may hesitate to share information due to misunderstandings about privacy laws. Priya Shastri, Director of Programs at WomanAct, provides insights from the front lines on information sharing, building trusting relationships with victims and survivors, and taking a...

Dr. Devin Singh is an emergency physician and lead of clinical AI and machine learning in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). He is also co-founder and CEO of  Hero AI . Combining medicine and machine learning [2:21] A patient death as a spark for thinking differently about health care delivery [3:27]  Demystifying the integration of AI into pediatric emerge...

Robert Fabes is a registered psychotherapist. His focus is on meaning-based existential mental health and addictions counselling. In addition to counselling clients in his private practice, he’s an addictions and trauma counsellor at The Ottawa Mission . Misconceptions about homelessness [5:06] Privacy concerns for people experiencing homelessness [6:18] Artificial intelligence tools to predict an...

Cynthia Khoo is a technology and human rights lawyer and most recently, a senior associate at the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law, in Washington, D.C. She is a research fellow at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab .  How facial recognition technology works [4:09] Use of facial recognition technology by government agencies [8:02] Use of facial recognition technologies in the...

Commissioner Kosseim speaks with Elyane Ruel , Head of School, and Grade 7 and 8 students from Westboro Academy in Ottawa, Ontario.  Do kids even care about privacy anymore? [2:01] What does privacy mean, how would you define it? [3:43] Sharing information with some, but not with others [5:56] Strategies for protecting yourself online [8:22] Respecting the privacy of others [12:11] Regrets about p...

A round up of key moments from season three of the Info Matters podcast, winner of the 2023 Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Technology Series.  How policing tools and methods have leapt decades in a few short years [1:03] (from S3-Episode 1: Predicting crimes before they occur: not so sci-fi anymore with the IPC’s Dr. Christopher Parsons)    Why misinformation isn’t new, the role of governm...

Professors Jane Bailey and Valerie Steeves co-lead the eQuality Project . Its mission is to help young people create a networked environment where they can participate equally, free from surveillance, and identity-based harassment. What led to research investigating the societal and cultural impacts of the internet on teens and particularly girls [3:06] Goals of the eQuality Project, roots in the...

Jennifer Chandler is a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics. You can learn more about her research at jennniferchandler.ca. A career that combines law, brain sciences and neurotechnology [2:54] Neurotechnology explained [4:29] Examples of how neurotechnology is used in health care [7:17] Applications of neurotechnology in the workplace [10:12] Brain tech...

Jason Besner is Director of Partnerships at the  Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre). Jason’s group is responsible for managing strategic engagements, with Canadian and international partners, that have the greatest impact on cyber security for Canadians. Focusing on national level outcomes, Partnerships supports and enables all other mission lines in the Canadian Centre for Cybe...

Laura Neuman is a Senior Advisor with the  Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She leads the implementation of the center’s  Inform Women, Transform Lives campaign. Prior to joining the Carter Center in 1999, she was staff attorney at Legal Action of Wisconsin and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. The journey from a law practice assisting disadvantaged groups to working at th...

Engaging with patients, families, and caregivers can help build a better, more inclusive health system. Betty-Lou Kristy, Chair of the Minister’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, speaks about her mission to improve patient care in Ontario by putting patients and families at the center of policy-making. Through their lived experiences in the health system, they work to break down barriers and h...

Dr. Bartha Maria Knoppers is a world-renowned expert and pioneer in the field of health law and bioethics, with particular focus on genomics. Her groundbreaking work has fundamentally changed our understanding of the complex intersection between science law, technology and ethics. She currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Genomics and Policy at McGill University, collaborating with in...

Philippe Dufresne , Privacy Commissioner of Canada, is a leading legal expert on human rights, administrative, and constitutional law. He previously served as the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) oversees compliance with the  Privacy Act , which covers the personal information-handling practices of federal governmen...

Dr. Alex Himelfarb is the chair of Council of Canadian Academies ’ Expert Panel on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Science and Health Misinformation. He chairs the board of the Narwhal and is a member of the boards of Atkinson Foundation, the Public Service Foundation and the Advisory Committee of the Auditor General, and is a fellow of the Broadbent and Parkland Institutes. Choosing to lead the expe...

Christopher Parsons is a Senior Technology and Policy Advisor at the IPC. Prior to joining the IPC in early 2023, he was a Senior Research Associate at the  Citizen Lab , an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Choosing to focus on research related to privacy, national security, and public policy [2:38] The modernization...

Dr. Kwame McKenzie is CEO of the  Wellesley Institute , a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and Director of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). A professional journey combining psychiatry and leading a policy think tank [2:20] Mental health information, more sensitive that other kinds of personal health information? [5:08] The s...