The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General, today announced that former Chief Justice David B. Orsborn will conduct a statutory review of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 (ATTIPA, 2015).
Mr. Orsborn received his C.A. designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Newfoundland in 1968, went on to receive his Bachelor of Laws at Dalhousie University and was called to the Newfoundland Bar in 1979. He served on the bench from 1993 until his recent retirement on July 19, 2020. Former Judge Orsborn has extensive judicial and review commission experience. He was appointed Associate Counsel to the Royal Commission on the Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster in 1982 and Chairman of the Royal Commission on Hospital and Nursing Home Costs in 1983. A full biography can be found in the backgrounder below.
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to openness and transparency. ATIPPA, 2015 increases government accountability by providing the public with the right of access to records and protecting the privacy of individuals whose personal information is collected, used and disclosed by public bodies. The Act first came into force in 2005, and was amended in 2012 and again in 2015.
The review is anticipated to take six months and begin in the fall. Details on the review and consultation processes will be released in the coming weeks.
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“ATIPPA, 2015 requires a statutory review every five years. I am pleased to move forward with that review today with someone of the stature and experience of retired Justice Orsborn. I look forward to the review and any recommendations that may come as a result.”
Honourable Andrew Parsons
Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General
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Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015
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BACKGROUNDER
Biography of the Honourable David B. Orsborn
David Orsborn was born in the United Kingdom and has been a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador since 1962.
In 1966 he received his B. Comm. (1st Class Hons) from Memorial University of Newfoundland and, in 1968, his C.A. designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Newfoundland where he was awarded the Hoben Memorial Prize for first place in the Atlantic Provinces and named to the Canadian Honour list. (He resigned from the Institute upon his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1993.)
From 1968 to 1976 he worked in administration and finance at the Salvation Army Grace General Hospital in St. John’s.
In 1979 Mr. Orsborn received a Bachelor of Laws at Dalhousie University where he was the winner of the University Medal in Law and other academic prizes. He was called to the Newfoundland Bar in December 1979 and practiced law from 1979 to 1993. While in practice Mr. Orsborn served as Counsel or Commissioner on various commissions of inquiry including: the Royal Commission on the Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster in 1982; the Royal Commission on Hospital and Nursing Home Costs in 1983; the Single Commission of Inquiry into Provincial Court Judges’ Salaries and Benefits (Newfoundland and Labrador) in 1985; the Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall, Jr. Prosecution; and the Triennial Commission on Judges’ Salaries and Benefits (Courtois Commission) in 1989. Mr. Orsborn served for three years as a member of the Board of Governors, Canadian Tax Foundation.
In 1993 Mr. Orsborn was appointed to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, Trial Division and on April 28, 2009, was appointed Chief Justice of the Court. In June 2014 he elected supernumerary status and reached his mandatory retirement date on July 19, 2020.