IIC Canadian Chapter 2022 Annual Conference

Monday 16 May – Tuesday 17 May 2022 (Hybrid event)
Location: National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

Please see here for information on the preliminary program including keynote speakers and agenda.

The Canadian Chapter of the International Institute of Communications hosted its two-day annual conference at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on May 16-17.

This year’s conference brought together leading communications sector players to discuss developments related to the major current issues in Canadian and international communications law and policy. In Canada, these developments include a number of proposed new pieces of legislation affecting the communications industry such as amendments to the Broadcasting Act, online harm, compensation for news media and the Accessibility Canada Act. Sessions are also being planned to cover the appropriate regulatory treatment of platforms, competition in the commercial mobile industry, solutions to the digital divide, dispute resolution, 5G and cybersecurity, Indigenous broadcasting, issues in the gaming industry, synthetic media, data collection procedures and more.

As always, keynote speakers addressed important domestic and international developments.

On May 16-17, 2022, the Canadian Chapter of the IIC hosted a hybrid conference, with the in-person sessions taking place in the Canada Room at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa (the same place the IIC will be holding its International Regulators Forum, Small Nations Regulators Forum, and Annual Conference the first week of November this year).

It was the Chapter’s first “in person” event in several years and it was oversubscribed-some would-be attendees had to use the virtual option instead. In the end there were approximately 180 registrants in the room and another 100 attending virtually. Speakers addressed a wide variety of current topics in communications law and policy.

There were panels on the Regulation of Digital Platforms, Canada’s new (proposed) Online Streaming Act, Rural Broadband expansion in Canada, Cybersecurity and Ransomware, Addressing Harmful Online Content, and Compensation for News Media. There were also interesting and topical keynote speeches and interviews with Canada’s Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, Ian Scott (Chair and CEO of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission), FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, Quebecor Inc. CEO Pierre-Karl Péladeau, Telefilm Canada’s CEO Crista Dickenson, CWTA President and CEO Robert Ghiz and Paul Champ, the lead counsel in the successful class action relating to the truckers convoy that temporarily paralysed the downtown of Ottawa.

We also emphasized our “short track” sessions of 15 minutes apiece which allowed us to address numerous topics that we would not otherwise have had a chance to hear about. These included, Explosive Issues and Growth in Gaming, the Accessible Canada Act, Developments in Indigenous Media, Broadband Mapping, Trends in Canadian Privacy Law Reform, Finding Value and Social Good in Data While Respecting Personal Privacy, Facial Recognition Issues – What Should Canada’s Regulators Do?, Deficiencies and Opportunities in Better BIPOC Data Collection, Android Location Data,  Developments in the War on Piracy,  The View from Bay Street – The Canadian Telecom and Broadcasting Markets and the Stock Market, U.S. Experience Going from Four Wireless Players to Three, and The Importance of Diversity at the CBC and in the Industry Generally.

The entire conference was bilingual-in English and French (with simultaneous translation available throughout), and was recorded for later playback nationwide by the Chapter’s broadcast partner, CPAC. Given the success of the conference, the Chapter’s Board immediately moved to sign up the NAC as the venue for the Chapter’s next annual conference in May, 2023. Further information will be provided at a later date.