Drawing the Line Between Privacy and Transparency

Public bodies struggle to draw the line between respecting the privacy of individuals and being transparent, and the line keeps moving. Take the example of where a concern of harassment has been raised against a public office holder (e.g., a Registrar or a member of a Council/Board of Directors of a Regulator). Such investigations and resolutions are almost always done with a promise of confidentiality to the person raising the concern, at least to the greatest extent possible. However, should the matter become public in some way, the organization can easily be accused of “censoring” the information or protecting itself unless it discloses the information. Political columnist Martin Regg Cohn argues that in the recent controversy involving Premier Kathleen Wynne, silence was the right response. Any regulators faced with a similar situation should think seriously about how to strike the right balance between public accountability and protecting the privacy of the individuals involved. https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/05/12/how-to-deal-with-mpps-accused-of-sexual-assault-cohn.html

More Posts

Registration Runaround

A concern for regulators arises when applicants for registration, who are practicing elsewhere at the time, foresee disciplinary issues developing in their existing jurisdiction. A

Right-Touch Regulation Redux

Perhaps the most consequential document in professional regulation in the English-speaking world this century is Right-Touch Regulation published by the UK oversight body, the Professional

Reason Writing Omissions

Writing reasons for a regulatory decision is not easy, especially for non-lawyers. An administrative body’s reasons are the primary basis upon which a court will

Interim Orders – Take Two

The Alberta regulator for chiropractors got the interim order process right on its second try. In Basaraba v College of Chiropractors of Alberta, 2025 ABKB