There are a couple dates you should put in your calendar right now: May 17 and 18, 2017. That’s when all of the privacy pros in Canada will be gathering in Toronto for the IAPP Canada Symposium. I want you there, so please start planning for it now.

Here's another: Feb. 13, 2017. That’s when early-bird registration begins. I know budgets are tight and it’s difficult to get approvals for conferences, but if we start working on this now, there’s a better chance of getting what we need to become even better privacy pros.

My law society requires me to take a certain number of classes every year. If I don’t, I lose my license. Yes, it’s a pain, but, at the same time, I understand the importance of continuing education. It’s no different as a privacy professional. I can’t say anymore that what makes me a privacy professional is that I did privacy 20 years ago. It’s absolutely crucial to my survival in this industry to stay current and keep on learning. I’d suggest it's even more the case in the privacy field than in the legal field!

So, keeping that in mind, I think the best way to get your educational component in is attending the Symposium. Why am I raising this now?  Well, it’s because the Canadian Advisory Board has already met to start planning the conference. We had our Symposium kick-off call this week and things are looking good. But, the CAB is not the only body that has input into the conference … I’m here as your conduit to pass along ideas. So, if you have them, let me know.

Lastly, before getting into this week’s news (and there’s a fair amount), just a shoutout regarding the first IAPP web conference to be conducted entirely in French. It’s a great development for the IAPP, it's coming up soon, and it's close to selling out, so if you want to dial in for it, you’d better register soon.