A Busy First Month With The New Executive Director

Posting by Bill Huzar, President Consumers Council of Canada

Privacy Commission Contribution Program
The Council submitted two project proposals on time to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. The first, for $48,000, is Part 2 of a project that was submitted by Option Consommateurs to develop a plain language guide to privacy rights and responsibilities for Canadians. Option, if funded, will research and produce the guide. The Council will take the guide, translate it and product test it across the country and arrange for distribution to consumers. The second, for $50,000, was developed by Elizabeth Nielsen and deals with the privacy issues raised in her OCA project on Nanotechnology. The announcement of funding should be made by the end of this month.

Since I was scheduled to participate in its 2008 Visa Canada Security Symposium, Christina Bisanz, the Council's new Executive Director, set up a daunting two seek schedule of meetings beginning with a Central Advisory Committee Meeting on March 25. What follows is a detailed report on the meetings.

March 25 2008

Central Canada Advisory Committee Meeting
Alison Knight chaired the meeting held in the new office boardroom. The members in attendance were favourably impressed with our new quarters. The agenda (attached) was specifically designed to engage the members in the continuing work of the Council.
I reported on the changes that had taken place in personnel and office location and the response by all was positive.
I was surprised at the high level of participation by the members.
There was considerable interest in the work of David Simpson on the ISO Social Responsibility. Members suggested that we make David available as a speaker to association conferences and meetings to spread the word on the good work the Council is doing by supporting David. The members were unanimous in their encouragement of the Council to continue to support David’s ISO involvement and indicated their continued financial support.
The members were surprised by the Nanotechnology Project and encouraged the Council to add it to the list of things offered as conference and meeting presentations.
The most heated discussion centred around the Competition Bureau’s report on self-regulated professions. They advised the Council to follow up on the reaction to the report by the national associations of the professions reported on.
The members suggested meeting again in June.

March 26 2008

2008 Visa Canada Security Symposium
For the second time, the Council was invited to participate in this annual event. Whipple Steinkrauss was invited in 2006. The Council was asked to represent the consumer perspective on a panel on The State of Data Security and Public Policy. (Agenda is attached) I was able to use our contacts with CCI and the Standards Council Consumer and Public Interest Committee to flesh out the consumer perspective. The most surprising thing about the symposium was the position taken by Derek Fry, President Visa Canada in his opening remarks supporting the recommendations of the House of Commons Ethics Committee in amending Canada’s privacy legislation PIPEDA making it mandatory for companies to report security breaches to the Privacy Commissioner.
The report by Bob Russo, General Manager of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Council, was very reassuring on the level of security demanded by Visa, AMEX and Master Card of their retail clients.

March 27 2008

Sobeys

Christina had arranged to meet with Scott Cooper, Vice President marketing and product innovation of Sobeys Inc a national food retailer. Christina explained the role the Council could play with Sobeys as a corporate member and we agreed to continue the discussion at a future meeting.

OTEC Training & HR Solutions
Christina and I enrolled in a seminar on “Engaging Generation Y” as part of the development of the Trillium Project. The half day session was interactive and expanded our consciousness of the attitudes of the millennium generation (those born from since 1980). In addition to what we learned about the age group and its motivation, we made contact with some very interesting 30ish management individuals who we will try to involve in the work of the Council.

March 28 2008

Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC)

Christina and I met with Joanne De Laurentis, CEO of IFIC to discuss possible consumer projects between the Council and IFIC. There is great potential with IFIC particularly with the issue of plain language and financial literacy. IFIC is considering the creation of a two page risk assessment document for investors which would supplement the normal prospectus for investments which we all agree is impossible for normal consumers to understand. The Council was informed about the industry’s financial education committee and encouraged to become involved in it. Christina will follow this with Whipple and our financial issues committee.

Matt Kelly
Christina and I met with Matt Kelly of Level5 Strategic Brand Advisers in the small committee room adjacent to our office. We discussed the potential of Matt joining the Council as a member of the Board filing the vacancy created by Christina’s resignation. He was genuinely interested in the changes that are taking place and expressed a desire to be part of the strategic reassessment of the Council and its operation. Having done the branding analysis of the Board upon which he reported to the December Board meeting, Matt is fully aware of the potential the Council holds. He was offered a position on the Board subject to Board approval.
(Subsequent to the meeting, the Board approved Matt’s joining the Board to fulfill the vacancy and to put his name forward for 2008-2009. Christina has completed the Board Orientation with Matt.
Welcome, Matt.)

March 31 2008

Sanford Brands
Christina met with John Hyslop and Mona Steitieh of Sanford Brands, our newest corporate member to discuss what potential there is to work together particularly on the issue of identity theft and security. Christina will report further on the meeting.

Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services
On Friday, March 28 I was contacted by Minister McMeeken to advise the Council that he would be introducing Ontario’s Payday Loans Act, 2008 in the legislature on Monday, March 31. We were offered a briefing of the bill before the release and asked to attend the legislature for the introduction. I met with his Executive Assistant on Monday and received a full briefing on the bill. I attended the Legislature for the announcement and was interviewed in the lobby by the press. (There was no media pickup.)
The bill has some good points including a funded consumer education component but is far from as comprehensive as that passed in Manitoba. We will have to watch carefully as the Expert Panel (which does not include us) hold hearings on rate setting over the summer.

April 1 2008

Public Policy Forum

The Public Policy Forum held a symposium “Governing Ontario: McGuinty Mandate #2” on Tuesday April 2nd. The day long event (agenda attached) gave the Council profile among the 100+ business and government representatives in attendance. Of particular interest for the Council was the discussion on the greening of Ontario. I was able to bring to the discussion the BC experience in incentives for energy efficiency and the carbon tax which are on the agenda for the McGuinty government and the Council’s initiative in energy efficiency in the National Building Code. In the area of energy production, it was clear that the McGuinty commitment to nuclear was firm but that energy efficiency was high on the agenda. Our OCA study on Smart Meters should provide us with research to bring the Council into the forefront in the discussion.
I was approached by Brendan Hawley,a lobbyist for the Canadian Gas Association who wants to talk to the Council about consumer issues which they have identified. Janet Ecker, former Ontario Minister of Education and Treasurer, who is now the President of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance which represents banks, insurance companies and brokers who want to make Toronto a world financial centre like London or New York and we discussed the issue of financial literacy. She offered to meet to discuss how the Alliance and the Council might work together on the issue.

Andrea Howarth
Christina and I met with Andrea Howarth, Ontario MLA and NDP Critic for the Ministry or Government and Consumer Services. This was our first meeting with the Ontario opposition critics and in the hour and a half we spent with her we explained the operation and mission of the Council and she offered to meet with us on consumer issues as they arise.

April 2 2008

Canadian Petroleum Products Institute

Christina and I met with Faith Goodman, Vice President of CPPI at her request. She wanted to talk about a long-term corporate membership relationship and had some ideas of project work that the Council could undertake funded by CPPI. Christina agreed to draft a project proposal on the pricing of fuel oil which Goodman suggested as a first project.

Lio and Associates

Christina and I met with Michael Lio to go over the fourth quarter financials and the final reports on the OCA projects. We transferred all the remaining files at Lio and Associates to the Council for delivery to the new offices.

April 3 2008

Competition Bureau

Christina and I attended the Ontario Regional Competition Bureau meeting in Toronto. It was an opportunity for Christina to meet the regional Bureau people and members of the business community who regularly attend. Attendance was poor but several consumer issues were discussed including prepaid phone cards, deceptive environmental claims in advertising, anti-spam legislation and textile labelling. Peter Woolford of the Retail Council brought to our attention after meeting an intended change in the consent agreement held by Interac which would increase debit card transaction fees to retailers and therefore would increase consumer prices. I shared this information with the members of CCI and we agreed to follow it closely.

Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada
At the request of David Adams, President of AIAMC, we met at his office to discuss corporate membership and consumer issues facing his association. We were joined by Mark Nantais, President of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association. We met for an hour and agreed to meet again to further discuss their relationship with the Council.

Sheridan College
Peggy Vickers of Sheridan College met with Christina and me over coffee to begin the discussion on the partnership role between the College, the Council and CSA on the Trillium project. We agreed to meet together at the end of the month to begin the project.

Lisa MacLeod
We met with Lisa MacLeod, Ontario MLA and Conservative Opposition Critic for the Ministry or Government and Consumer Services at her invitation. We discussed the Council and how important it was for the Council to be non-partisan. We expressed our belief that it was vital in policy making for the government and the opposition to discuss issues with the Council and get an independent consumer perspective. She was enthusiastic with the prospect and agreed to maintain contact and to meet whenever a consumer issue was brought to her or our attention.

April 4 2008

Frank Williams
We met with Frank Williams over lunch to bring him up-to-date on the changes at the Council. Williams is the Council consultant on the two-year OCA project on consumer protection. He brought us up-to-date on the project which he feels will be completed ahead of schedule in the fall.

Canadian Standards Association
Susan Winters, Manager, Consumer Services Program met with us at their offices to discuss the Trillium Project partnership. She agreed to meet with Peggy and Christina at the end of the month to begin the project.

Measurement Canada Membership and Project
Measurement Canada contacted me regarding the membership and project proposal. I was advised that there had been a delay in the start date of the consultation which involved the project proposal from May to October and that they would give us a response to our proposal later in the spring or early summer.

April 14 2008

Canadian Consumer Initiative (CCI)

CCI held a conference call on April 14 to lay out the plans for the Hill Blitz now scheduled for May 27-29. We have been invited to meet with the Competition Bureau on May 26 and will meet with OCA on May 28. I have invited Lucienne and Christina to the CCI meeting with OCA and to participate in the lobbying activities on May 28.

April 16 2008

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee met on April 16 to review the year end financials and make recommendations for the budget process for 2008-2009. We agreed to meet again on April 30 to review the contract with Christina and a budget for 2008-2009. The Committee will report with recommendations to the Executive and they in turn will report to the Board.


On other matters
I have received a three year appointment to the Stakeholder Advisory Council of the Canadian Payments Association and will attend my first meeting on April 29 in Toronto.

I have been invited as a civil society representative to the 2008 OECD Ministerial on the Future of the Internet in Seoul, Korea June 16-19 2008 and have accepted subject to funding by the Korean Government.

The Western Canada Advisory Committee will be meeting in Vancouver on April 30. Christina and I will join by conference call from Toronto.