Debbie acts as general counsel to professional regulatory bodies, including providing ongoing advice to the Colleges' Registrars, boards of directors and committees on all of their policies, procedures and programs to regulate the professions in the public interest. She provides advice to the Colleges on legislative initiatives that affect their statutory mandate and the practice of the professions, and assists in preparing submissions to government advisory bodies and legislative standing committees. She also assists in the drafting and negotiation with government officials of regulations to be made under the relevant statute and their presentation to government from a policy and legal perspective. She has advised newly established regulatory bodies in developing their regulatory frameworks, by-laws and policies and procedures, and existing regulatory bodies in adding and integrating a new profession into an existing regulatory framework.
In health law matters, Debbie provides advice on legislation affecting the health care sector and issues related to patient safety, scopes of practice of health professionals, regulation of new professions, privacy and confidentiality of personal health information, and policies and procedures related to registration, complaints, discipline, patient relations, quality assurance and fitness to practise processes.
Debbie has developed leading expertise in the impact of privacy legislation on key stakeholders in the health care, research, professional regulatory and social services sectors. Debbie has provided advice on the impact of federal and provincial privacy legislation. She has provided advice to organizations on compliance with privacy legislation and the handling of privacy breaches.
"PHIPA Review and Latest Developments", Health Information Privacy and Security, Insight Information, January 29-30, 2008
"Implementation Issues under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, Medical Records Law in Ontario, Lorman Education Services, September 27, 2007
"Lock Box and Other Issues in the Administration of PHIPA", Health Information Privacy and Security, Insight Information, January 29-30, 2007
"Why Patient Safety" presented at the CLEAR 2006 Annual Conference, Expect the Unexpected: Are We Clearly Prepared? September 14-16, 2006, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Personal Health Information Protection Act: An Overview", presented at Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Annual Meeting and Education Day, June 23, 2006
"PHIPA: Obligations of Health Information Custodians and their Agents", presented at Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Annual Meeting and Education Day, June 23, 2006
Co-Chair, "Implementing the Personal Health Information Protection Act", The Canadian Institute, May 8-9, 2006
Moderator of Panel, "Personal Health Information Privacy Laws Across Provinces: What Works, What Doesn't, and What Can We Do About It?, The Canadian Institute, May 8-9, 2006
"Meeting the Challenges of Consent When Conducting Research", presented at The Canadian Institute Conference on "Implementing the Personal Health Information Protection Act ", May 8-9, 2006
"Professional Competency Issues – HR Discipline Processes and QCIPA", presented at the Ontario Hospital Association Education Day "Personal Health Information Protection Act and Quality of Care Information Protection Act – One Year Later, November 28, 2005
"Overview of PHIPA's 'Lock-Box' Provisions and Permitted Collection, Use or Disclosure of Personal Health Information Without Consent", presented at OBA Conference on Privacy Law Update: Current Developments and Practical Guidance, September 28, 2005
"Impact of PIPEDA on Regulatory Investigations" presented at Professional Regulation Summit, Acuity Conference, September 21-22, 2005
"Current Regulatory Issues Affecting MRTs", presented to The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, September 10, 2005
"The Impact of PHIPA on Research: Rules and Risks", presented at Conference on Managing Your Legal Obligations Under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 - Practical Advice and Best Practices in an Era of Privacy Transition, The Canadian Institute, May 4 - 5, 2005
"Ontario's New Privacy Legislation", 2005 Conference and Annual Meeting, Family Service Ontario, April 29, 2005
"Understanding Where You Fit Under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)", 4th Annual Health Information Privacy Conference, Insight Information Co., January 17-18, 2005
"Overview: Practical Duties and Responsibilities of Hospitals under Proposed Privacy Legislation", Ontario Hospital Association Education Day, December 12, 2002
"Privacy Law Primer", Ontario Hospital Association Convention, November 18, 2002
"Proposed Privacy of Personal Information Act, 2002 - An Overview", Ontario Hospital Association, May 30, 2002
"Duties and Obligations of Directors and Officers of Charitable and Not-For-Profit Corporations", Annual Conference of the Association of Treasurers of Religious Institutes, September 26, 1999
"Regulation of Sonographers", Ontario Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, April 24, 1999
"Current Regulatory Issues Affecting Medical Radiation Technologists", GE Medical Systems, Sheraton Centre, September 11, 1998
"Health Practitioner's Duty to Disclose, Duty to Report and Duty to Warn", Canadian Medical Legal Conference, Toronto Hilton Hotel, June 6, 1997
"Who Sets Standards of Practice for Sonographers", Canadian Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, May 23, 1996