Minister Conway Ottenheimer Announces Statutory Review of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act

Press Release

May 20, 2026

The Honourable Helen Conway Ottenheimer, Minister Responsible for Access to Information and Protection of Privacy, today announced that Keri-Lynn Power will conduct a statutory review of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015. A full biography can be found in the backgrounder below.

The Provincial Government is committed to openness and transparency for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 provides the public with a right to access government records as well as ensures that personal information that is collected, used or disclosed by public bodies is protected. The Act first came into force in 2005 and was subsequently amended in 2012 and again in 2015.

The review is anticipated to begin this spring with the final report and recommendations provided to the Provincial Government at the end of January 2027. Further information on the review and consultation processes will be released in the coming weeks.

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“The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 requires a statutory review every five years. Our government is committed to protecting privacy while supporting openness and transparency in the public sector. I look forward to Ms. Power’s recommendations as we build on our leadership in access and privacy in Canada.”
Honourable Helen Conway Ottenheimer
Minister Responsible for Access to Information and Protection of Privacy

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Learn more
Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015

BACKGROUNDER

Biography of Keri-Lynn Power
Born and raised in Churchill Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Keri-Lynn Power has a Bachelor of Law (with Honours) and Masters in International Commercial Law from the University of Kent in Canterbury, the National Accreditation Certificate from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management from the University of Windsor Law School- Stitt Feld Handy Group, a Certificate in Mediation from the Harvard Mediation Institute at Harvard Law School, a Certificate in Foundations in Judicial Competencies from the Ontario Bar Association, a Certificate in Trauma Informed Advocacy from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a Certificate in Fundamentals of Indigenous People and Canadian Law from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Aside from being Chair of the Family Law Section for the Canadian Bar Association-Newfoundland and Labrador Branch, she has been the Chair of the Pharmaceutical External Audit Appeal Board since 2013, a Review Panel Member of the Medical Care Insurance Act since 2014, Disciplinary Panel Member for the College of Massage Therapists since 2015, and spent 12 years as an adjudicator for the Human Rights Commission.

Ms. Power spent time clerking with the Department of Justice, coached people on alternate dispute resolution courses, and was in private practice for almost two decades. She was named as one of Best Lawyer’s in Canada in 2024, 2025, and 2026 in Real Estate, an award voted on by Peers.

In her spare time, Ms. Power sits on the Law Society Honours and Awards Committee, the Bar and Bench Committee, volunteers with Lakecrest Independent School and Mount Pearl Paradise Skating Club and has over two decades of service with Scouts Canada. She was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for Community Services and 75th Anniversary of Confederation Medal for her Volunteerism.

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