New information and privacy commissioner settles into role
Artificial intelligence, medical privacy top of mind for J. Richard W. Hall
J. Richard W. Hall is Nunavut’s new information and privacy commissioner. (Photo by Daron Letts)
J. Richard W. Hall is catching up on files and settling into his new role as Nunavut’s information and privacy commissioner.
Hall – a longtime lawyer who has spent most of his career in British Columbia – was appointed to a five-year term by MLAs last month following a unanimous vote in the legislative assembly.
He started the job March 23.
Hall took over from former information and privacy commissioner Graham Steele, whose term expired last year.
“My first challenge was to start to go through the emails that have been sent to commissioner Steele,” Hall said in an interview.
“I’m putting in weekend work here to make sure that we’re up to speed. I know that Graham was very good at being able to get decisions out on a regular basis.”
The office of the information and privacy commissioner, which operated on a $410,000 budget in the last fiscal year, is independent of Nunavut’s legislative assembly.
Its duties include overseeing the territory’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and reviewing and making recommendations in response to complaints. A job posting from 2025 indicates the commissioner position pays $129,468 to $184,955 per year.
While working for the Vancouver School Board, Hall said he worked closely with B.C.’s freedom of information co-ordinator on access to information files.
Hall has also worked in legal and labour relations roles at organizations such as Chevron Canada, the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada, Vancouver General Hospital, and the Sumas and Musqueam First Nations.
“I’ve been able to be very fortunate to develop an expertise in administrative law and administrative tribunals,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed that opportunity, and so I thought that I could bring that skillset to Nunavut.”
A lot of topics are on the table in Hall’s office, including health privacy and the impacts of artificial intelligence on privacy.
“AI is a very significant area that is going to attract the attention and is continuing to attract the attention as we speak,” he said.
“I’m very sensitive to these issues.”
Hall also mentioned the possibility of bringing municipalities under the access to information law, but he said that would be a decision for cabinet.
So far, Hall has met with territorial officials, as well as his counterparts in other territories and provinces. He’s also “enjoying the beauty of the Arctic,” now that he lives in Iqaluit.
He says he’s committed to ensuring the Government of Nunavut follows its own laws.
“It’s a fundamental principle of democracy that government is transparent to its citizens,” he said. “It’s very, very important for me to continue to ensure that that principle of democracy is maintained.”
I don’t recall seeing this one posted for competitive but may be wrong. Last time it was advertised before they went with Steele. There are a lot of lawyers who have actually practice law in Nunavut or live here that would be viable candidates.
Why does it have to be a lawyer? Lots of experienced folks with good judgement who aren’t lawyers.
Sure, we can have someone with good judgment apply a very technical and pedantic piece of legislation. What would happen (and what happens in departments with Directors and DMs who are not lawyers) is that typically they have to hire a lawyer to navigate these types of things.
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The IPC writes detailed, legislation based decisions all day. Does this qualify as privileged information? Is that redaction appropriate given section ABCDE and cases out of Alberta considering similar laws? This is legal work. The policy angle is more limited.
Lawyers love to pretend what they do is so special that only they can do it. It’s not true. My learned friend here is high on his own supply and is offering you a hit.
Don’t do drugs folks.
Ah, the mystique of lawyers! Lawyers have been brilliant at convincing people that a vast range of issues, especially in government, can only be handled by lawyers. Yes, lawyers are needed in legally complex situations, but the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act is pretty straightforward and covers only a limited range of issues. The tough part of being Commissioner isn’t interpreting the act and writing reports, it’s convincing the GN and its officials to fulfill their responsibilities regarding government information and personal privacy.
You sound like the number of government clients I service that often need to be dug out because they don’t understand their entire basis for operating extends from laws, and they think they can always just act on “common sense”. I get to stay in business because people in senior positions like to think they are also able to practice law. Its funny when these things come to light all the “experts” are suddenly too busy to come and defend their decisions. I wonder why.
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If you ever read an IPC decision, you can see the vast majority of time departments are refusing to provide information for political or CYA reasons. You can just see the bureacrats sitting in a meeting room saying “that email makes me look bad, redact it” or “I thought if I wrote it in pen it couldn’t be ATIPP’d so redact it”. They rarely seem to actually look at the legislation that might enable them to do it properly, and I expect they rarely talk to the DOJ about it either because they don’t like to be told they are wrong and need to disclose materials.
Lots of people do math too, doesn’t make them accountants. This is the commissioner role in a tribunal making decisions based on legislation…this is exactly a lawyer position….just cause people can use a drill doesn’t mean they should be building houses.
I’m glad this guy got it. A few months back there were 2 young dudebros who were flown here for an interview for the job. They had all the respect for privacy to loudly discuss their interviews in the waiting area to board a jet back to Ottawa.
Why are we flying these kinds of people in for interviews? Have some. respect for the punlic purse.
Can’t wait for Nunatsiaq News to declare him as a Iqaluit resident just before he leaves town.