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Alex Cameron Toronto Lawyer

Alex Cameron

Partner | Co-Leader, Privacy & Cybersecurity Fasken
Privacy and cybersecurity present vital challenges and opportunities for organizations globally.
Jurisdiction Ontario, 2007 | British Columbia, 2000
Language(s) English
Office(s) Toronto
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Overview

Alex Cameron is co-leader of the firm’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Group. Clients from all sectors, including numerous Fortune 100 and 500 companies, consistently turn to Alex for his renowned guidance in privacy, cybersecurity and related matters.

Clients work closely with Alex to achieve business objectives through the innovative use of personal information, while ensuring compliance and managing risk. From big data projects, to marketing initiatives, to workplace management, Alex helps clients to identify and implement creative solutions to all manner of privacy issues. He also assists clients in managing compliance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL).

Working closely with clients and outside security experts, Alex assists clients in managing cybersecurity risks, conducting strategic risk assessments, and implementing effective governance, risk transfer and incident response planning.

Alex has helped clients respond to a full range of data breach incidents involving millions of affected records and individuals, including some of Canada’s most high-profile breaches. Clients have looked to Alex to help effectively investigate and respond to significant matters such as:

  • Cyber extortion in the context information theft, DDoS attacks and ransomware
  • Large-scale ransomware attacks
  • Sophisticated hacking, malware and phishing attacks
  • Lost and stolen laptops, drives and paper information
  • Business practice claims (e.g. alleged misuse of information for commercial purposes)
  • Data breaches impacting payment cards and PCI rules
  • Careless, snooping and rogue employees
  • Vendor and service provider breaches

An accomplished litigator, Alex has acted as lead counsel in landmark cases in his areas of practice, before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and in high-profile class action litigation involving cybersecurity and data breaches.

In the freedom of information field, Alex assists clients with strategic requests to obtain material information for business or legal purposes, and with resisting the disclosure of important confidential information before institutions, regulators and the courts.

A longstanding director on the Advisory Board of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Canada, former Chair of the Canadian Bar Association Privacy and Access Law Section, and recipient of a doctoral degree in privacy law, Alex has contributed to thought leadership and the shaping of privacy and related law and policy in Canada.

Alex has received a number of prestigious commissions from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) to author reports and guidance material, including, PIPEDA and Your Practice — A Privacy Handbook for Lawyers, a national privacy handbook for the legal profession; Leading by Example: Key Developments in the First Seven Years of PIPEDA, a milestone privacy law report, and Metadata and Privacy: A Technical and Legal Overview.

Alex is consistently ranked in Chambers Canada and The Best Lawyers in Canada as one of Canada’s top privacy and data protection lawyers. He was also named the 2024 Toronto Privacy and Data Security Law “Lawyer of the Year”.  

Achievements

Client Work

  • Elanco Canada Limited v. Canada (Health), 2019 FC 1455, [Case - Elanco Canada Limited], Alex Cameron and Pavel Sergeyev successfully represented Elanco Canada Limited (“Elanco”) before the Federal Court of Canada in invalidating a decision by Health Canada to disclose certain records (the “Records”) pertaining to a veterinary drug product, Fortekor Flavour Tabs, pursuant to a reques...
  • Avalara acquires the business and related assets of Portway International, [Deal - Portway International Inc.], On July 31, 2019, Avalara, Inc., completed its acquisition of the business and related assets of Portway International Inc. and its Indian subsidiary. The transaction was a multi-jurisdictional cross border transaction involving Canada, the US, and the India Market. Portway International Inc. pro...
  • Children’s Aid Society in a proceeding commenced under the Ontario Class Proceedings Act, [Case - Family and Children’s Services of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville], We are counsel to the defendant Family and Children’s Services of  Lanark, Leeds and Grenville (the “Children’s Aid Society”), in a proceeding commenced under the Ontario Class Proceedings Act, 1992. The Claim arises out of a cybersecurity incident that occurred in April of 2016, wherein an unaut...
  • Postmedia Network Inc. et al. v. Meltwater Holding B.V., et al. 2017 ONSC 3387, appealed 2017 ONSC 6036, [Case - The Halifax Herald Limited, Transcontinental Inc., Le Devoir Inc., and Cedrom-SNi Inc.], On October 12, 2017, Ontario Superior Court Justice Madam Justice J.T. Akbarali dismissed an appeal of a decision rendered May 31st in which Master Graham permitted the action to proceed pursuant to the plaintiffs’/respondents’ Rule 48.14 status hearing motion. The action is for substantial damag...
  • Equifax Inc. and Equifax Canada Co. privacy class action, [Case - Equifax Inc. and Equifax Canada Co.], Equifax Inc. and Equifax Canada Co. in defence of claims in numerous class actions across Canada in relation to a widely publicized data breach in 2017
  • PayPal completes acquisition of TIO Networks for C$302 million, [Deal - TIO Networks Corporation], On July 18, 2017, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: PYPL) and TIO Networks Corp. (TSXV: TNC), a cloud-based multi-channel bill payment processing and receivables management company, announced that PayPal has completed its previously announced acquisition of TIO Networks. In accordance with the terms...
  • Weenen v. Biadi, 2017 ONCA 533, [Case - Confidential Client], On June 22, 2017, the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of Graziano Biadi in Weenen v. Biadi 2017 ONCA 533, awarding the respondent, Matthew Weenen, $50,000.00 in costs for the appeal. The dispute was tried over 18 days and centered on the extensive and prolonged flooding that Mr. Biad...
  • Laurentian University defends proposed class action relating to a privacy breach, [Case - Laurentian University], Canadian university defends proposed class action relating to a 2017 privacy breach
  • Joshi v. National Bank of Canada, 2016, ONSC 3510; 2016 ONSC 4394, [Case - National Bank of Canada], On May 31, 2016, Justice Diamond of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled in favour of the National Bank of Canada in the case of Joshi v National Bank of Canada, 2016, ONSC 3510 (PDF), striking out the plaintiff’s claim for international interference with economic relations and ordering pa...

Career & Education

Education

  • LLD, Doctor of Laws University of Ottawa
  • LLM, Law and Technology University of Ottawa
  • LLB University of British Columbia
  • BA University of British Columbia

Community involvement

  • Director UBC Law Alumni Association 2000 to 2003
  • Pro Bono, Privacy Initiative: The Little Grape that Could International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
  • Advisory Committee NetDiligence Cyber Risk Summit
  • Chair UBC Law Toronto Alumni
  • Member St. Andrew's Society of Toronto
  • Member Scottish Studies Foundation

Memberships & Affiliations

  • Member Ontario Bar Association
  • Member The Advocates' Society
  • Member Canadian Bar Association
  • Past Chair Canadian Bar Association, National Privacy & Access Law Section
  • Member International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
  • Contributor DataGuidance
  • Advisory Board Member International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

Knowledge

Events

News

Publications

Speaking Engagements

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