For Documentation Highlights From Our Previous Seminars click here. 

   RILEY INFORMATION SERVICES INC.
Presents 

WHEN:                                 October 21, 2008
WHERE:                              Chaudiere Room, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 101 Lyon Street North,  Ottawa    Map

REGISTER ONLINE:        Click here

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

“The purpose of the Access to Information Act is to extend the present laws of Canada to provide a right of access to information in records under the control of a government institution in accordance with the principles that government information should be available to the public, that necessary exceptions to the right of access should be limited and specific and that decisions on the disclosure of government information should be reviewed independently of government.”

The Federal Access to Information Act has been in operation for twenty-five years.  During that time there have been two major reviews of the legislation, and calls for change from practitioners, access advocates, business groups, academics and journalists who are concerned about the legislation as it stands.  In 2006, the government put forth extensive amendments to the Access to Information Act (ATIA) as part of the Federal Accountability Act, which were subsequently enacted by Parliament. The amendments to the ATIA included extending the law to all parent Crown Corporations and their wholly owned subsidiaries, to agents of Parliament, and to five foundations.  There are currently 250 institutions in the federal government subject to the law.  The agents of Parliament and foundations came under the Act on April 1, 2007 and the Crown corporations and subsidiaries will come under the law as of September 1, 2008. 

Accountability is a key principle required across all government departments and related institutions.  This seminar will be especially useful to all the institutions that have responsibilities for the Access Act and will assess what impacts the changes to the law have created. 

SIGNIFICANT CHANGE?

This one-day seminar will take an in-depth approach to the various aspects of the Act and the impact the law has had on Canadians for the past twenty-five years. There will be speakers from the legal and private sector and from government, bringing users and the access community together and creating an opportunity for dialogue and exchange between the speakers about the state of the law.  How are all these trends converging and what are the implications for access coordinators and professionals in the field?  Target audiences for this event are federal access coordinators across the country, federal and provincial access to information commissioners and their staffs, policy makers, departmental offices within the public service, and users of access laws, including businesses, academic institutions, associations, NGOs and the media.  This seminar will prove invaluable to coordinators across the government and within Crown corporations.

8:00 – 9:00 am                       Conference  Registration                                  

9:00 – 10:00 am                     KEYNOTE SPEAKER:                                             

     Robert Marleau, Information Commissioner of Canada

  WHAT CHANGES ARE NEEDED TO STRENGTHEN THE ACCESS ACT?

Chair:                   Thomas Riley, Riley Information Services Inc.  
            Speakers:             Suzanne Legault, Assistant Information Commissioner of Canada
                                         David, Brown, Senior Associate, Public Policy Forum
                                        Jim Bronskill, Journalist, Canadian Press, Ottawa                                                                                    

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm      Buffet luncheon (included in cost)

  ACCESS 25 YEARS ON: HOW FAR HAVE WE COME AND HOW FAR TO GO?

Chair:                Denis Kratchanov,Information Law and Privacy Section, Justice Canada
            Speakers:          Gilles Gaignery, ATIP consultant
                                      Judy Benvie, Deputy Director, ATIP Secretariat, Department of Fisheries and Oceans

  ACCESS AND CHANGE:  WHAT ARE THE INTRINSIC VALUES OF THE LAW?  

            Chair:                 Michael Turner, e-Government Strategies, Ottawa
            Speakers:          Kathy Wesley, ATIP Division, Finance Canada 
                                      Marc-Aurèle Racicot, B.Sc., LL.B., LL.M. Avocat – Lawyer                                   
                                    

REGISTER NOW AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EARLY BIRD PRICE  

Cost:        $595 (plus GST = $624.75) if registered by September 8, 2008
                 $650 (plus GST = $682.50) if registered after September 8, 2008

Group Rate Discount: every three registered, fourth one free.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE
or Call: (613) 799-8993 or Email: rtriley6@cs.com 

Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

Title: ____________________________________________________________________________

Organization: ______________________________________________________________________

Address:_________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________ Postal Code :___________________

Phone: ______________________Fax: _____________________Email: ______________________

All registered participants will receive an invoice as confirmation by return mail.  An information kit will be available upon registration the morning of the seminar. Cancellation with full refund allowed up to three weeks before the seminar, less $50 administration fee, or send replacement, no charge. Payment by cheque only to:  

RILEY INFORMATION SERVICES INC.                                                   GST NO. R117997965
1500 BANK ST, SUITE 629
OTTAWA, ON  K1H 1B8 

For Documentation Highlights From Our Previous Seminars click here.