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A Publication of the Ontario Association of School Business Officials
The Advocate Fall/Winter 2012
Positioning the Association for the FUTURE
Inside:• Success is a Group Effort:
Shesh Maharaj, OASBO President• Protecting Personal Information in Emails • OASBO Scholarship Winners
OASBO
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FALL/WINTER ■ 2012 3
OASBOA Publication of the Ontario Association of School Business Officials
Published by
Naylor (Canada), Inc. 1630 Ness AvenueSuite 300Winnipeg, ManitobaR3J 3X1Tel (800) 665-2456 Fax (204) 947-2047Web site: www.naylor.com
Published for the Ontario Association of School Business Officials144 Main Street N., Suite 207Markham, ON L3P 5T3Telephone: (905) 209-9704Fax: (905) 209-9705Web site: www.oasbo.orgE-mail: [email protected]
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PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2012/OSB-B0212/7575
CONTENTSFEATURESPOSITIONING THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE FUTURE ..............................................................4If OASBO is to continue to be seen as a valued association, it is important that we take
the time to determine who we are and, more importantly, what we must do to continue the
effective support to our membership.
By Bill Blackie
OMC ANNUAL WORKSHOP .........................................................................................................7The Operations, Maintenance and Construction Committee held its Annual Workshop
in Ottawa from July 10 to 13 at the new Ottawa Convention Centre.
2012 WILLIAM WALES AWARD ....................................................................................................7The Wm. J Wales Award is presented by the Operations, Maintenance and
Construction Committee to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to
the work of the Committee and who best exemplify the spirit of the individual for whom it is
named.
SUCCESS IS A GROUP EFFORT ..................................................................................................8When he was the new kid on the block, Shesh Maharaj could never have predicted
that he would become president of anything. Meet OASBO’s new president.
By Michelle Morra-Carlisle
WELCOME NEW OASBO BOARD MEMBERS .........................................................................10Two new members bring their energy and enthusiasm to the OASBO board.
PROTECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION IN EMAILS ..........................................................12Including personal information in emails has the potential for a privacy breach as they are
easily accessible and once sent, there is no control over further, unauthorized routing.
By Sharron Christie
OASBO PHOTO ALBUM .............................................................................................................14
BUYERS’ GUIDE AND TRADE LIST ..........................................................................................14
A Publication of the Ontario Association of School Business Officials
The Advocate Fall/Winter 2012
Positioning the Association for the FUTURE
Inside:
Fall/Winter 2012
4 FALL/WINTER ■ 2012
Rosabeth M. Kanter, a professor
at the Harvard Business School,
suggests that “Our future will be
shaped by the assumptions we make
about who we are and what we can be.”
OASBO is currently viewed as a valu-
able association. If we are to continue
to be seen as a valued association, it
is important that we take the time to
determine who we are and, more impor-
tantly, what we must do to continue the
effective support to our membership.
In the past few years there has seen
a steady increase in membership and
an increase in the number of standing
committees in the Association. This
growing number of committees is the
result of increasing specialization in
the business aspects of education. A
key to remaining a valued organization
will be our ability to provide members
with high quality information in a timely
manner. The provision of this high
quality information must make use of
many formats and include both print
material like the Advocate and elec-
tronic materials.
To ensure that we remain relevant
in this changing environment, here are
some questions that we must be pre-
pared to answer and take appropriate
action on:
Who is championing communications?What are the tools we currently use and
are they still relevant?What new tools need to be considered
for use?What services must committees provide?What is the role of the Board of Directors
in this changing environment?
The answer to the last question is
critical. The Board must be the cham-
pion for the association but how can
this be accomplished? The role of a
Board member continues to expand and
in that expansion is the opportunity to
reinforce the mission of the association.
As part of their governance function the
Board must provide a policy framework
that recognizes communications as a
key function of the association. The
communication plan needs to identify
the purpose, audience and frequency
of the various tools that are available
or may become available.
The Advocate is currently our only
print vehicle and it is also available in
an electronic format. Our electronic
materials include email postings such as
available jobs, various forms and news
items. While they are effective, their value
will increase if we can target specifi c
messages and materials to specific
committees or even subgroups of these
committees. We will need to ensure that
we consider the purpose, audience and
frequency of any material we distribute.
Included in this examination should be
the identification of potential cross-
over materials. That is materials in one
area of interest that might link to other
areas. A good example of this would be
information about conferences. There are
three different sets of material that are
linked to conferences, fi rst are the initial
announcements with general information
that will go to all members; the second
is specific information for attendees
and fi nally post conference materials
that should be available to attendees
and specifi c groups. It is this latter set
that could make information available to
groups in addition to the original targets.
We do well at getting the introductory
materials out and the specifi c material for
attendees. However, we need to improve
the post conference information.
OASBO has been moving to a more
electronic environment for most of its
information. The central tool in making
this change is an effective association
website. Our current site has both a
public and members sections. Both of
these sections must be user friendly. The
public face must provide an interesting
fi rst impression of the association and
clearly identify who we are and what we
do. As part of that public face having an
easy to use membership application is a
must. The member side of the website
must provide information in an easy to
fi nd and use format. The site should
also have an area where standard forms
for association use are located and
Positioning
By Bill Blackie , OASBO Executive Director
the Associationfor the FUTURE
A well positioned association will be able to provide
high quality information to its members and be seen
as a valued partner to business associates and the
government.
FALL/WINTER ■ 2012 5
available for downloading. Membership
renewal, conference registration and job
postings are important functionalities
for members. Our current site provides
most of these functions and information
but it struggles with being user friendly.
What changes do we need to make in
our current tools and what new tools do
we need to consider using?
A well positioned association will be
able to provide high quality information
to its members and be seen as a valued
partner to business associates and the
government. To ensure OASBO is well
positioned we need to consider new
tools and improved practices for how
we can meet a variety of needs.
As the demographics of the asso-
ciation change, we need to be able to
change the methods we use to com-
municate and what information we need
to provide. A potential consequence of
having incoming members with narrowly
defi ned job functions will be increased
specialization. This growth will have
some potential problems. We need to
consider how we are organized into
committees or sub-committees. How
small can a group be and still be viable?
As groups become more specialized
there are fewer members of the group.
An important group to capture is new
committee chairs. They need a good
introduction to the overall organiza-
tion and their role in it as a committee
chair. The other key group is new Board
members. In both of these groups pro-
viding mentors may be a very effective
method of providing the information and
support they need to do their jobs in
the association.
Smart phones and tablets are
becoming commonplace. Do we move
to a format that supports the mobile
environment? What do members want?
How do we fi nd out what they want or
need? Do we need to ensure our web
presence supports Blackberry, iphone
and android environments? The answers
to these questions will help us as we
move forward but only
if we are prepared to
make the changes that
meet members’ and
potential members’
needs. ■
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FALL/WINTER ■ 2012 7
WILLIAM WALES
The Operations, Maintenance and
Construction Committee held
its Annual Workshop in Ottawa
from July 10 to 13 at the new Ottawa
Convention Centre. The conference was
a resounding success with over 250
delegates from across the province, over
80 vendors who provided an excellent
trade show and a record attendance
from our Ministry of Education partners.
This year’s theme was “Capital Perfor-
mance By the Canal,” which related
to the venue being in Ottawa across
the Rideau Canal from the National
Arts Centre. In addition, it relates to
Lieutenant Colonel John By, a Royal
Engineer, who designed and built the
Rideau Canal from 1826 to 1832.
The conference consisted of a series
of 13 workshops focusing on all aspects
of Facilities, a Ministry briefi ng, keynote
and closing speakers, a superb trade
show with vendors covering all aspects of
the industry, social events and an excel-
lent opportunity to renew old friendships,
create new ones and network. Shesh
Maharaj opened the banquet dinner with
greetings from OASBO and the OMC
Chair’s gavel was passed from Peter
Wright to Gerry Cullen. It was a great
conference held in a spectacular venue
which was enjoyed by all and marked the
OMC committee’s 64th year. ■
The Wm. J. Wales Award is presented by the Operations,
Maintenance and Construction Committee to individu-
als who have made an outstanding contribution to the
work of the Committee and who best exemplify the spirit of
the individual for whom it is named.
Tim Robins began his career in Toronto in 1975 in a non-
management position. Some claim he was a courier driver,
some say he was a custodian but none can say for sure:
Everyone that worked with him at the time is now retired!
He then became a Plant Offi cer in 1986, followed by
Operations Supervisor in 1992 and Senior Manager of Facilities
Services in 1994. He worked hard and took courses at the
same time in order to get his BAS in Business Administration
from York University.
In 2003, he accepted a position with the Windsor Essex
Catholic District School Board as a Controller of Facilities
Services. However, after a few years, he missed Toronto
and when an opportunity opened up, he was successful in
securing a position as Assistant Superintendent in a GTA
board. Once he completed his S.O. certifi cation, he became
the Superintendent of Facilities.
He is known for his generosity, his leadership, his integrity,
and skills to all his peers and supporting staff. He is also a
big proponent of PD sessions and the development of staff,
which at times worked against him since they would move
to other opportunities.
Let’s not forget the commitment and support he continues
to provide to school boards across the province as a Director
of OASBO. He has been a member since 2007 and has held
AWARD2012
several positions, including Chair of the OMC Committee,
where he introduced “mandatory” PD sessions at all OMC
monthly meetings. ■
OMC ANNUAL WORKSHOP
8 FALL/WINTER ■ 2012
The year 2012 is a challenging
and exciting time to be a school
business official. In a climate of
collective agreements and legislation
that are the aftermath of the province’s
multi-year push to balance Ontario’s
books, the sector is grappling with
the resulting implications on finances,
human resources and other disciplines.
“But this is today, and in three months,
we’ll be on to another difficult situation,
and perhaps in June, something else,”
says OASBO’s new president, Shesh
Maharaj. “This is the norm in our sector.
Change is inevitable.”
The Superintendent of Corporate
Services and Treasurer & Chief Financial
Officer at Waterloo Catholic District
School Board assumed the asso-
ciation’s top role in the spring. When
he accepted his current position at
WCDSB, he was 35 years old. There
has always been an age gap between
him and his colleagues, however, his
relatively young age has never put him
at a disadvantage. Quite the opposite—
to a certain degree being “green” and
less settled in his ways is what makes
him open to change.
The Shesh AdministrationWhen he was the new kid on the
block, Shesh could never have predicted
that he would become president of
anything. Fresh out of school and still
acquainting himself with his daily respon-
sibilities at the school board, he admits
he was in awe of the whole operation
and found its sheer size and complexity
intimidating. Yet something about the
job felt natural to him, even “strangely
familiar,” he says, almost as though he
had done it before. So despite having
limited experience at the time, he fol-
lowed his career path in step with great
people who guided him along the way.
Maharaj was born in Guelph, Ontario.
His parents arrived in Canada from
Trinidad in the 1950s to study—Dad is
a medical doctor, Mom a teacher—and
fi rst settled in Nova Scotia. At six years
of age, Maharaj wanted to be a fi sher-
man when he grew up, then at eleven
switched to accounting. Today he is a
husband, a father of two children ages 7
and 4, and holds an Accounting Diploma
from Mohawk College, a CGA designa-
tion, an Honours Bachelor of Commerce
degree from Laurentian University, and a
Business Supervisory Offi cer Certifi cate
from the Ontario Principals’ Council.
What strengths does an accountant
bring to the school business profes-
sion? Maharaj calls himself “a bit of
a visionary,” with the ability to look
at where his school board is headed,
examine the impacts of change in the
educational sector and plan strategies
for continued success. “My professional
background predisposes me to being
analytical about issues, which can help
by taking personal feelings away from
decision-making,” he says. “I also like
to think that I see opportunities as well
as weaknesses in things fairly quickly.”
Maharaj appreciates that his employer
offers him the independence to do his
job without a lot of micromanagement.
He thrives on the ability to deliver results
based on systems and processes he
designs and through the people he
hires. Regardless of age or background,
Maharaj says, all senior business offi cials
have the same qualities: “We are all per-
fectionists and we want to have a well-run
operation with strong internal controls and
reliable results.” He feels an equal kinship
with OASBO board members, who share
the same commitment. “People that
volunteer their time above and beyond
what is required generally have similar
qualities and drives,” he says. He credits
OASBO for providing the resources and
networks without which, he says, he could
not do his job. Networking with people
from diverse backgrounds is something
he values above all. He enjoys the fact
that OASBO board members come from
all business disciplines, from Human
Resources to Information Technology
to Transportation, all contributing to the
greater good of the association.
As OASBO’s new president, he
shares the strong belief of his pre-
decessor, Tom Pechkovsky, that the
association’s strength is the work of
its committees. “As an organization,
I believe people have to see value in
their OASBO membership fees for us
to continue to succeed,” he says. “We
By Michelle Morra-Carlisle
“Some might speak more, others might crunch data,
but the work we do, we do together and everyone
plays their part.”
SUCCESS is aGROUP EFFORT
FALL/WINTER ■ 2012 9
are working on projects that support
this notion.” Among these plans are
the implementation of a mentorship
program that would support members
who are new to the sector; a new and
interactive website; and placing more
emphasis on celebrating members’ suc-
cesses. The board also aims to interact
more with members and encourage their
active involvement in OASBO activities.
With Maharaj at the helm, board
members can expect total autonomy.
He recognizes that they hold positions
of responsibility and that the work that
OASBO does for the Province and for
students is critically important. Yet he
does not place any expectations on
board members—professionals in their
respective fi elds who contribute in their
own ways.
The People FactorWhatever the external infl uences of
the day, Maharaj believes in concentrat-
ing at the task at hand: “putting the
pieces into place” and keeping schools
safe and welcoming for children. He has
found that the best way to work through
complex issues is through dialogue,
both with the Ministry of Education
and within the sector through OASBO’s
committees. The powerful tool of pro-
fessional networks makes it possible for
OASBO members, as a group, to deal
with issues that could never be fully
addressed by an individual.
Like many of his generation, this
modern-day businessman has a soft spot
for technology. However he loves working
with people most of all, and the more dif-
ferent they are, the merrier. “Some might
speak more, others might crunch data,”
he says, “but the work we do, we do
together and everyone plays their part.”
In true school spirit, he is constantly
learning. His experience at the Waterloo
Catholic board and with OASBO has
helped him develop skills he never
thought he would use. Just as impor-
tantly he has learned where his own skill
set falls short, and uses that knowledge
to surround himself with good people
that complement him and each other.
“I can’t be all things to all people,”
he says, “but being part of a well bal-
anced team helps us ensure that we
get the job done.” ■
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10 FALL/WINTER ■ 2012
Each year the OASBO Board of
Directors welcomes new mem-
bers. As part of that process we
try to share with the membership some
information about the new Board mem-
bers. This year Mark Carbone from the
Waterloo Region District School Board
and Steve Fujimura from the Durham
Catholic District School Board have
come forward to serve the association.
“I am truly blessed and excited by
the opportunity to hold the position
of Director and to offer my services
and time in support of OASBO and its
members,” says Steve Fujimura, who
is currently the Manager of Purchasing
Services for the Durham Catholic District
School Board.
In 1991, Steve came to the school
board business sector when he left the
commercial construction industry to join
the Frontenac Public School Board as
a Construction Project Supervisor. He
managed Capital Projects and became a
Certifi ed Representative on the Board’s
Joint Health and Safety Committee.
With the restructuring resulting from
Board amalgamations he became the
Supervisor of Purchasing Services for
the newly created Limestone District
School Board.
Steve took over the position of
Supervisor of Purchasing Services for
the Durham Catholic District School
Board in 1998. In October of 2010, the
Board created the Position of Manager
of Purchasing Services and he was the
successful candidate. He developed
and implemented a new Strategic Plan
for the Department. Most recently,
his Department led the Board to full
compliance with the BPS Procurement
Directives, which included the revision
of our procedures, processes, contract
documents and in-servicing in sup-
port of all requisitioners . Steve is the
Business Services Representative on
the Board’s Joint Health and Safety
Committee.
Steve joined OASBO and the
Purchasing (now Supply Chain
Management) Committee in 1998. He
served as acting Chair of that Committee
in 2000–2001 and Chair from 2001–2002.
Steve has two grown daughters, Tara
and Kiyoko, and a six year old son,
Toshiro and two grandchildren. He lives
in Bowmanville with his wife, Julie and
two stepsons, Callum and Max. He is a
serving offi cer in the Army Reserves. His
other outside interests include reading,
home renovations, fi shing, golf, playing
guitar and bagpiping. Steve says that it
has been an honour to serve as unof-
fi cial OASBO AGM banquet piper over
the years.
OASBO has been and remains an
important professional support that
provides an invaluable network of col-
leagues and friends. Our other new Board
member is Mark Carbone and in his own
words, “I look forward to serving the
OASBO community and working with the
Board of Directors.” Mark brings a wealth
of experience to his new role in OASBO.
Mark is celebrating his 32nd year
in education and is currently the Chief
Information Officer at the Waterloo
Region District School Board. He has
served in a variety of roles including
teacher, department head, ICT consul-
tant and IT Management. Additionally,
Mark is a member of the Ministry of
Education OSAPAC committee.
Mark is an active member of the
online community where he exten-
sively uses social media tools. He
is an active blogger on his own site
(http://blog.markwcarbone.ca/) and is
a contributing author at the Ontario
ConnectED Leaders Consortium (http://
ontclc.ca) and VoicEd (http://voiced.ca).
He also serves as an online coach for
the Powerful Learning Practice.
On a personal note, Mark is an
active musician who enjoys arranging
music and performs with the Cambridge
Symphony Orchestra and the Venturi
Winds Quintet. ■
NEW OASBO BOARD MEMBERSWELCOME
Steve Fujimura Mark Carbone
FALL/WINTER ■ 2012 11
Congratulations go out to Derek
Nicholson and Charlotte Davie,
this year’s recipients of the
OASBO scholarship. The selection cri-
teria consider academic performance,
the breadth of their studies and the
contributions they made to their school
and community.
Derek will be attending Humber
College in the degree program in Public
Relations. In addition to maintaining a
strong academic standing, he was able
to act in his school’s production of Once Upon a Mattress, played on the varsity
hockey team, and was a member of the
school’s concert and jazz bands. He
has also done volunteer work for the
Salvation Army, Cancer Society and
social justice groups
Charlotte is an Honour Roll student
who will be attending the University
of Toronto in the Rotman Commerce
program for a Bachelor’s degree in
commerce. Charlotte is described as
a serious, hard working and extremely
OASBO SCHOLARSHIPWINNERS 2012
focused student who is involved in many
activities. In addition to her academic
standing she has been a member of
her school’s athletic council, concert
and jazz bands and basketball and
volleyball teams. Her principal describes
her as “truly a role model for all other
students.” ■
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12 FALL/WINTER ■ 2012
Email has become the major communication tool for
school boards because of its speed and efficiency. As
such, it is imperative that the content of emails issued
in board operations be carefully considered as it pertains
to student and staff personal information and highly sensi-
tive issues. Including personal information in emails has the
potential for a privacy breach as they are easily accessible
and once sent, there is no control over further, unauthorized
routing. With the increasing use of personal mobile devices
and tablets and their ability to receive email, board business is
now transmitted to external sites making wrongful disclosure
more of a threat.
When personal information is exchanged via email,
several features inherent to email systems may contribute
to breaches of fair information practices. For example, the
ease with which personal information can be exchanged via
email, both intentionally and inadvertently, may facilitate the
unnecessary collection and inappropriate or unauthorized use
and disclosure of personal information.
Although the originators of email messages may carefully
adhere to fair information practices in disclosing personal
information in email, they may have no control over how that
information is subsequently used or disclosed by recipients.
Recipients could alter the information and forward it to oth-
ers, or fail to employ adequate security measures to ensure
that the personal information is not vulnerable to unauthor-
ized or inappropriate access by others. In addition, in many
boards, fax transmissions which have typically been used
to transmit personal information are now being received
through technology that automatically converts the fax to an
electronic document.
The Board, through the head, must determine the level
of risk that it considers to be reasonable to effi ciently and
effectively communicate through an email system.
Provisions under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act(MFIPPA)
The rules under MFIPPA do not restrict an institution
from sending emails but establish sound information sharing
practices making institutions responsible for any unauthorized,
inadvertent disclosure.
Section 32 (d) indicates that it is appropriate to include
student and staff personal information in emails if the dis-
closure is made to an employee of the Board who needs
the information in the performance of their duties and if the
disclosure is necessary and proper in the Board’s operations,
e.g., requesting an OSR or transcript, forwarding an ESL
assessment to a school, providing copies of applications.
Section 33 - Consistent Purpose indicates that it is also
appropriate to include student and staff personal information
in emails if the individuals have given their consent or if the
use or disclosure is consistent with what the individual might
reasonably have expected, e.g., if a parent calls regarding
a school issue, it is reasonable to pass the concern along
to the appropriate supervisory offi cer for handling via email;
providing applications to the interview committee.
Section 52 (3) 3 indicates that the Act does not apply
to records collected, prepared, maintained or used by an
institution related to meetings, consultations, discussions
or communications about labour relations or employment-
related matters in which the institution has an interest. Care
must be taken to consider if this exclusion applies or if the
email content falls under Section 2 of MFIPPA - Personal
Information, e.g., employee’s home address, employment
history.
Regulation 823 3. (1) indicates that “Every head shall
ensure that reasonable measures to prevent unauthorized
access to the records in his or her institution are defi ned,
By Sharron Christie, Supervisor –
Corporate Services/Freedom of Information Co-ordinator,
Thames Valley District School Board
PROTECTINGPROTECTINGPERSONAL INFORMATIONPERSONAL INFORMATION inin EMAILS EMAILS
FALL/WINTER ■ 2012 13
documented and put in place, taking into account the name
of the records to be protected.”
Regulation 823 3. (2) indicates that only those individuals
who need a record for the performance of their duties shall
have access to it.
Regulation 823 5. indicates that personal information used
by an institution is to be retained for the shorter of one year
after use or the period set out in a bylaw or resolution unless
the individual consents to its earlier disposal.
Email Privacy ConsiderationsMFIPPA puts the onus on the institution to protect records
under its custody and control. Therefore, the head is to
ensure that practices are in place to protect unauthorized use
of the institution’s records and be able to demonstrate that
it has shown due diligence in the protection of its records.
The following issues should be considered when determin-
ing the scope of risk in including student and staff personal
information or highly sensitive matters in email messages.
• Student or staff names should not be included in the subject
line of an email.
• Matters that fall under the provisions of sections 32 and 33, as
cited above, may include the individual’s personal information.
• Where the student or staff member is known to the recipient,
the fi rst name and last initial or initials should be used where
there has been a previous conversation about the matter.
• Sensitive personal information should be avoided in emails
where possible and confi dential memos considered. When it
is necessary to discuss a student or employee, staff should
be encouraged to do so by telephone and confi rm via email
referencing “the individual we spoke of this morning.”
Protecting Email TransmissionsHaving accepted that email is a necessary form of com-
munication, boards should consider the following protections.
• Include a confi dentiality statement on all internal and exter-
nal Board email messages, for example:
Confi dentiality Warning: This message and any attach-
ments are intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s)
and may contain confi dential or personal information that
may be subject to the provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. If you are not
the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the
intended recipient, you are notifi ed that any dissemination of
this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received
this communication in error, please notify the sender imme-
diately and delete the message and any attachments.
• When it is necessary to send privileged or sensitive infor-
mation to external organizations via email, provide periodic
email message encryption to the recipients. This allows
specifi c emails to be encrypted by the sender and accessed
by the identifi ed user through a password.
• Ensure that internal emails may be accessed only by the
intended recipient using password protection.
• Include the capacity to conceal the subject of a message
and a warning that a message requiring special security has
been received.
• Include the capability for internal email directed to smart
phones to time out and require a password to access use
of the smart phone.
• If a phone is lost and unauthorized access is attempted,
provide the capability to have all data erased on the 10th
unsuccessful, inaccurate password attempt.
• Refrain from using personal email when preparing Board
correspondence.
• Provide ongoing staff training and awareness related to
electronic communication and privacy issues.
• Maintain an awareness of communication technology
upgrades and consult the board’s Freedom of Information
Co-ordinator when considering privacy technology
upgrades.
Email RetentionThe responsibility for retention of email correspondence lies
with the author of the record. Those who are copied on the
email are not required to retain a copy unless they respond
to it or forward it on. In such cases, the normal retention
period outlined below is required.
As an electronic record, emails related to board business
must be retained for the period set out in the board’s Retention
Schedule based on the subject matter of the email. Should
there not be an established Retention Schedule, emails must
be retained for one year after the date of last use, i.e., one
year after the matter has been completed. Where there is
personal information included in an email, the individual to
whom it pertains may consent to its earlier disposal.
It is not necessary to retain transitory emails once their
purpose has been met. Transitory emails are records that hold
no further value to the board beyond an immediate or minor
transaction, or records that may be required only for a very
short time, e.g. until they are made obsolete by an updated ver-
sion of the record, or by a subsequent transaction or decision.
As noted above, boards must balance the level of risk they
are prepared to take with the funding they are prepared to allo-
cate when considering the protection of personal information
in emails. A commitment to protecting personal information
will not only promote effective communication but enhance
the public confi dence by letting individuals know that their
privacy rights are important enough to warrant protection. ■
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