Media Advisory - Balancing Public Safety Needs and Ontarians' Privacy Rights

Privacy Day Symposium: Privacy and Public Safety: A Progress Report

TORONTO, Jan. 25, 2016 /CNW/ - Public safety initiatives such as police record checks, street checks and body-worn cameras have the potential to affect the privacy of every Ontarian. Each of these issues has sparked intense public debate about the handling of information by police services. The public discussion has led to significant progress in the protection of Ontarians' privacy, but there is still more work to be done to find the appropriate balance between public safety and privacy.

Information and Privacy Commissioner Brian Beamish will highlight this progress and share his views for next steps at the symposium this Thursday, January 28^th. Following his presentation, a panel of experts from the fields of privacy, human rights and public safety will address key questions and pressing issues.

The panelists are:   

EVENT DETAILS

• Chief Bryan Larkin, Waterloo Regional Police Service and Vice President, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
• Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane, Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Deputy Commissioner Michael McEvoy, Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia
• Deputy Minister Matt Torigian, Community Safety, Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services

Date & Time:	Thursday, January 28, 2016
	9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Location:	Epic Hall
	2nd Floor, The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon
	Toronto Reference Library
	789 Yonge Street, Toronto

The event will also be webcast on ipc.on.ca. Celebrated across Canada and internationally, Privacy Day (also known as Data Privacy Day) highlights the impact that technology is having on our privacy rights and underlines the importance of valuing and protecting personal information.

SOURCE Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario

Media contact: Trell Huether, Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Direct Line: 416-326-3965, Toll-free: 800-387-0073, [email protected]