Right to Know Forum (Calgary)

International Perspectives on Access to Information

Commissioner Jill Clayton will provide an overview of what she heard during the International Conference of Information Commissioners to be hosted in Manchester, United Kingdom on September 19-21, 2017. She will also discuss how actions elsewhere may influence access to information in Alberta. Ms. Clayton has been invited to participate on a panel at the international conference.

Panel: Users of the Access to Information System in Alberta

Sean Holman, Associate Professor of Journalism at Mount Royal University, will moderate a panel discussion of users of the access to information system in Alberta, including:

• Peter Bowal, Law Professor, University of Calgary
• Ethan Lou, Reporter, Reuters
• Rachel Ward, Director, Canadian Association of Journalists - Alberta Chapter and Journalist, CBC's Go Public
• James Johnson, Director of Research and Policy, Official Opposition, United Conservative Party Caucus

Preservation of Residential School Records

Karen Meelker, Access and Privacy Officer for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), will discuss the NCTR's role in preserving residential school records, providing access to this information and protecting personal information. She will also provide an overview of the case that went to the Supreme Court of Canada in May 2017 and the NCTR's position that the records created during the Independent Assessment Process must be preserved. The Independent Assessment Process is a settlement fund for claims of abuse and other wrongful acts committed at Canada's residential schools. This process differs from the Common Experience Payment for anyone who was a resident of a residential school.