Thank you, Meg.
I know that the protection of privacy is top of mind for every member of this committee as it is for Waterfront Toronto and the public we serve, and I appreciate this opportunity.
As Meg just stated, any individual component selected for implementation at Quayside will be subject to all applicable laws from all levels of government. This of course includes Canada's privacy laws.
While Canada's privacy laws, relative to the rest of the world, have proven remarkably effective, we recognize that technology is changing all the time, and this requires Canadian privacy law to evolve. As a result, I want the committee to know that Waterfront Toronto is approaching the Quayside project with an expectation of the protection of the fundamental right of privacy well beyond the strict letter of the law. We know that if this project is going to proceed, it must reflect Canadian values on privacy.
We are guided in this effort by expert committees and advisers, all three levels of government and continuous, ongoing public consultation.
To this end, Waterfront Toronto has established the digital strategy advisory panel to guide us on how to best incorporate data privacy, digital systems and the safe and ethical use of new technologies while ensuring digital inclusion in the next phase of waterfront revitalization, starting with the Quayside project.
The panel is led by Dr. Michael Geist, the Canada research chair in Internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. I understand that Dr. Geist appeared recently before this committee.
We are also working closely with Chantal Bernier, who spent nearly six years leading the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, as interim privacy commissioner and as assistant commissioner. She now serves as the national practice lead of privacy and cybersecurity at Dentons. Chantal is here with us today. We also regularly seek insight from former three-term Ontario privacy commissioner Ann Cavoukian.
I would like to specifically outline some of the key commitments that Waterfront Toronto has made to protect privacy in this project.
First, in addition to all existing legislative and regulatory requirements, we are committed to the principles of privacy by design. A plan for Quayside would only be approved if it adheres to these principles.
Second, with respect to the protection of personal information ,there will be no preferential treatment to any Alphabet company, including Google, regarding linking to, sharing or the use of personal data.
Third, data cannot be used for advertising purposes without express positive consent.
Fourth, any personal information will be de-identified at source, unless express consent is knowingly and explicitly given for a specific purpose.
Fifth is minimization of data collection so that only the data needed and identified for a limited and specified purpose would be collected.
Sixth, our commitment is that data collected for the Quayside project will be stored in Canada.
Sidewalk Labs has already committed to abiding by all of these key requirements. We agree with what Ann Cavoukian has often said. We are looking to create a smart city of privacy on Toronto's waterfront and we are firmly committed to working with our government stakeholders to ensure that this is precisely what is delivered.
At this point I'll turn it back to Meg.