Media advisory

Privacy Commissioner of Canada to present 2026 global Privacy and Human Rights Award to Canadian health research laboratory

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne, in his role as Chair of the Global Privacy Assembly, will present the 2026 Privacy and Human Rights Award in Ottawa on Monday, July 20, 2026.

The award – a joint initiative of the Global Privacy Assembly and Access Now – celebrates outstanding leadership or initiative in the fields of data protection and human rights.

This year’s winner is the Electronic Health Information Laboratory (EHIL) at the CHEO Research Institute, a leading pediatric health research institute in Ottawa.

EHIL and its founder and Director, Dr. Khaled El Emam, are being recognized for pioneering work in privacy-enhancing technologies that enables health systems, researchers, and artificial intelligence (AI) developers to use data while protecting individuals’ privacy, dignity, autonomy, and safety.

Alejandro Mayoral Baños, Executive Director of Access Now, will join Commissioner Dufresne in presenting the award during a ceremony at CHEO.

The event will include a presentation from Dr. El Emam and the Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) to demonstrate the impact of EHIL’s work.

Award ceremony details

Date: Monday, July 20, 2026

Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm ET

Location: Max Keeping Room (W1306 and W1308), CHEO, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa

Journalists who wish to attend the award ceremony in person are required to RSVP in advance. The ceremony will also be streamed online.

To register to attend or access the live stream or other information, please contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: communications@priv.gc.ca