Background

Bonnie Freedman is a lawyer in the Corporate Commercial Group at our Toronto office. Bonnie is the Toronto regional leader of the Firm’s Privacy and Access to Information Group and Biotech and Pharmaceutical Group.

Bonnie earned her BA and MA at schools in France (University of Paris IV - La Sorbonne and Paris X - Nanterre and Middlebury College), LLB and MBA from the University of Toronto Law School and the Rotman School of Management and LLM (in International Trade and Competition Law) from Osgoode Hall Law School.

She was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1991 and practised civil litigation with an emphasis on administrative law before accepting a position with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario where she spent six years, four as a member of the College’s Senior Management team in the role of Director, Legal Services. Bonnie developed an interest in performance measurement in not-for-profit organizations at the College and expertise in the area at business school. Since receiving her MBA, Bonnie has focused on providing practical and client-oriented legal advice on commercial, regulatory and other business matters.

Areas of Practice

• Bonnie's practice focuses on health, privacy and access and not-for-profit law. She works closely with the lawyers in BLG’s IT Industry Group.
• Bonnie provides advice to a broad range of clients in the health care sector, including hospitals, clinics, government and government agencies, health professionals and their associations, industry associations, regulatory bodies, laboratories, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and providers of information technology services. The breadth of her practice has afforded Bonnie an unusually comprehensive knowledge of the sector.
• In her privacy and access practice, Bonnie provides advice to on-line businesses, charitable and philanthropic organizations and businesses in the financial services, health care, technology, entertainment, media and consumer goods and services sectors on the implementation of applicable (federal, provincial, area-specific, public and private sector) privacy law and the access process. She has also worked for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
• Bonnie assists not-for-profit organizations with governance and procurement among other matters.

Professional Experience

• Analyzes legislation for stakeholders, advises on compliance and makes submissions to government about the impact of proposed legislation and amendments to legislation
• Advises health care professionals and organizations on structures and options for health services delivery and payment for health services.
• Reviews and drafts services and other contracts, privacy and hospital policies and by-laws for not-for profit organizations.
• Prepares educational materials and orientation sessions on compliance in the areas of privacy, records management, governance, operations and public procurement.
• Reviews privacy impact assessments and assists with management of privacy and security breaches.
• Drafts terms of reference and rules of procedure for committees and tribunals.

Professional and Community Activities

• Member of the Law Society of Upper Canada
• Member-At-Large, Executive of the Privacy Law Section, Ontario Bar Association
• Director and Chair of the Program and Quality Committee - Baycrest
• Member of the Privacy Working Group, GSI Canada, Public Policy Forum on RFID (radio frequency identification) Technology
• Director and Chair of the Program and Quality Committee – Baycrest from June 2007 to June 2011

Selected Articles and Publications

• “Requirements & Expectations of Information Technology & Information Management Services Providers to the Health Sector in Canada”, The CHIEF Quarterly, COACH: Canada’s Health Informatics Association, Spring 2010
• “PHIPA Primer”, Healthcare Magazine, September/October 2008
• “Trans-jurisdictional Outsourcing Involving Personal Information, Canadian Approaches”, Eye on Privacy, Ontario Bar Association Privacy Law Section Review, Volume 7, No. 3, April 2007
• “International Disclosure of Personal Health Information by the Public Sector in Canada”, International Bar Association, Technology and E-Commerce Committee E-bulletin, September 2006
• “Cross-Border Transfers of Personal Information, Recent Decisions Interpreting PIPEDA”, Information and Technology Law, vol. 9, no. 3, February 2006

Selected Conferences and Speaking Engagements

• Ontario Hospital Association, Accountability and Privacy, April 2010, ‘Application of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to Hospitals’
• The Osgoode Certificate in Health Law (Osgoode Hall Law School), Health Information Privacy and Security, April 2010, ‘Data Sharing Under PHIPA’
• Osgoode Professional Development (Osgoode Hall Law School), Critical Issues in Legal Risk Management for Hospitals, April 2010, ‘Workshop on Health Information, Privacy and Security’
• INSIGHT, Health Information Privacy, Safety and Security, January 2010, ‘Data Sharing Agreements Between Health Care Organizations’
• INSIGHT, Health Information Privacy and Security, January 2007 and 2008, (Co-Chair)
• Strategy Institute, Changing Role of the Pharmacist, May 2007, ‘Recognizing Opportunity: Pharmacy’s Expanding Role in Health Care Delivery and Planning’
• Health Privacy Professional Workshop, University of Waterloo, April 2007, ‘Privacy Laws and Principles’
• INSIGHT, Canadian Pharma Industry Symposium, March 2007, 'Drug Coverage: Recent Changes in Ontario'
• INFONEX, 4th Annual, Updates, Emerging Issues and Practical Solutions for Effective Records Management, January 2007, 'Legal Issues for Records Management'
• OBA, 1st Annual Privacy Law Summit, November 2006, 'PHIPA and Non-Health Information Custodians: Understanding PHIPA’s Relevance'
• INSIGHT, Performance Management in Health Care, September 2006, 'The Board – Measuring Performance and Best Practices in Governance'