Keynote Speakers

Opening Keynote - David Fraser

David Fraser is a partner with McInnes Cooper, working with a range of private and public sector clients to implement compliance programs for Canadian privacy legislation. He regularly provides opinions related to Canadian privacy law for both Canadian and international clients and is a frequently invited speaker on this topic. He is the author of the popular Canadian Privacy Law Blog (blog.privacylawyer.ca).

David is widely recognized as one of Canada’s foremost experts on privacy law and other legal issues associated with cloud computing. He regularly advises vendors and customers in connection with implementing cloud computing projects, in both the public and private sectors (including the health and education sectors). David is particularly known for his ability to cut through the rhetoric often associated with cross-border outsourcing to implement clear risk-based assessment of such projects.

In addition, David is the Past President of the Canadian IT Law Association and the former Chair of National Privacy and Access Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association. David was honoured to be included in the inaugural (2006) and each subsequent edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada in the category of Information Technology law. He is listed among the world’s leading lawyers in Internet and eCommerce Law in the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers. In the spring of 2006, David was a recipient of an Outstanding Young Canadian Award by the Junior Chamber of Commerce International - Halifax Chapter. In 2009, David was named as one of Canada’s “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” by Lexpert.

He is a member of the faculty of Dalhousie Law School, where he teaches Internet and Media Law, Law and Technology, and Law and Policy for Electronic Commerce. He is on the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Law and Technology. Active in the Halifax technology community, David is secretary and director of advocacy for Digital Nova Scotia, the IT industry association of Nova Scotia.

Closing Keynote - Bill Carr

Bill Carr is an actor, award winning satirist, writer, speaker and coach. For over twenty five years, Bill has been making people laugh at what’s trivial while helping them think deeply about what counts. Bill helps people see their world in new and exciting ways. His unique blend of humour and insight inspires laughter and consideration. He offers audiences a fresh perspective on what they face every day.

Bill recently published his first book Acting Up! - Lessons from the Theatre of Life and continues to be active in his art with a recent recurring role in Spike TV’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Mist” scheduled for release in 2017. Together with his wife Gola, Bill is co-founder of the Atlantic Restorative Company (ARC), a social entrepreneurship focused on creating space for authentic human exchange, communication and coaching. Bill is based in both Halifax and Toronto.