Riley Information Services

For Documentation Highlights From Our Previous Seminars click here. 

RILEY INFORMATION SERVICES INC.
  Presents  

WHEN:                             September 24, 2007
WHERE:                          Westin Hotel, 11 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa  
REGISTER ONLINE:    Click here

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

The Federal Access to Information Act has been in operation for twenty-four 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.  Last year the government put forth extensive amendments to the Access to Information Act (ATIA) as part of the Federal Accountability Act. The amendments to the ATIA included extending the law to all parent Crown Corporations and their wholly owned subsidiaries, agents of Parliament, and five foundations.  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. 

Accountability is a key principle required across all government departments and related institutions.  This seminar will be especially useful to all the new institutions that have been brought under the umbrella of the Access Act and will assess the impacts of these changes.  In addition, there will be a debate regarding the proposed changes to the Act, which have yet to be passed by Parliament.  Such reforms are long overdue as no substantial changes to the Act have been made since its inception in 1983.  This event is part of the Right to Know week, which is now celebrated in many countries and jurisdictions around the world. 

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES PROPOSED 

There is still the question as to the degree to which the act will be further changed and what impact this might have on both government and the public.   This seminar will take an in-depth approach to the proposed changes. 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 and the delegates on the extensive changes possibly to come.  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 not only to current coordinators but to new coordinators who will be needed in the Crown corporations coming under the scope of the legislation.

8:00 – 9:00 am           Conference  Registration                             

9:00 – 10:00 am         KEYNOTE SPEAKER: 

                                    Robert Marleau, Information Commissioner of Canada                                                           

WHAT IMPACTS WOULD  PROPOSED AMENDMENTS HAVE FOR REQUESTORS AND THE ACCESS COMMUNITY?   

Chair:             Thomas B. Riley, Riley Information Services Inc.  
            Speakers:       Sean Moore, Partner / Public Policy Advisor, Gowling Lafleur Henderson
                                    David Brown, Public Policy Forum, Ottawa
                                    Bruce Deacon, former ADM, Agriculture Canada (invited)          

12 noon – 1 pm      Buffet luncheon in Daly’s Restaurant  (included in cost)

  WHAT IMPACTS WOULD REFORMS OF THE ACT BRING ABOUT?

Chair:             Jim Bronskill, Journalist, Canadian Press, Ottawa  
            Speakers:      Ross Hodgins, Director, ATIP Division, Health Canada
                                   Joan Mann, ATIP/Elections Canada

ACCESS AND CHANGE:  NEW INSTITUTIONS

            Chair:             Denis Kratchanov, Director/General Counsel, Information Law and Privacy Section, Justice Canada
            Speakers:       Claudette Desormeaux, Office of Commissioner of Official Languages  
                                    Suzanne Legault, Assistant Commissioner Policy, Communications and Operations, 
                                    Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada

REGISTER NOW AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EARLY BIRD PRICE

Cost:   $595 (plus GST = $630.70) if registered by August 17, 2007 
            $650.00 (plus GST=689.00) if registered after August 17, 2007 
(Note: less Discount of $100.00 for anyone who attended Privacy seminar 21 Feb. 2007)
Academic and NGO rate: $300 (plus GST = $318.00) if registered by August 17, 2007
                                           $350 (plus GST = $371.00) if registered after August 17, 2007
 Group Rate Discount: every three registered, fourth one free.

Call: (613) 237-8828    or Fax: (613) 237-7888     or email: rtriley6@cs.com
To REGISTER ONLINE - click here

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. To register call (613) 237-8828, or mail registration form with cheque payable to: 

RILEY INFORMATION SERVICES INC.
PH01- 85 BRONSON AVE,
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
CANADA
K1R 6G7


GST NO. R117997965

For Documentation Highlights From Our Previous Seminars click here.