The Centre for Law, Technology and Society is delighted to announce the selection committee has attributed the following two Deirdre G. Martin Memorial Privacy Law Awards for the 2025-2026 academic year:
Deirdre G. Martin Memorial Privacy Law Award — Best Paper
- Chidera Okonkwo (LL.M. candidate) for "AI-Generated Genomic Risk Assessment in Insurance Underwriting: Rethinking Canadian Genetic Non-Discrimination Principles."
Deirdre G. Martin Memorial Privacy Law Award — Best Essay
- Ephraim Barrera (Ph.D. candidate) for "The New Mentors: AI Chatbots and the Governance of Violent Ideation After Tumbler Ridge."
The Deirdre G. Martin Memorial Privacy Law Awards aim at recognizing students at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law who have presented outstanding papers on the subject of privacy law. The awards were established by the late Deirdre G. Martin’s friends and colleagues in the Legal Division of Insurance Bureau of Canada to honour her memory. Thanks to the generosity of Deirdre G. Martin's friends and colleagues, awardees will each receive CA$ 2,000.
All professors teaching a privacy law-related course at the Faculty of Law were invited to nominate the best papers written during the 2025-2026 academic year by a student from the Common Law Section, the Civil Law Section or the Graduate Studies. The selection committee was made up of Professor Teresa Scassa, Professor Jane Bailey and Professor Florian Martin-Bariteau.
About Deirdre G. Martin
Deirdre G. Martin received her law degree with distinction in 1978 from the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section, at the University of Ottawa. From 1998 to 2006, she was Senior Counsel at the Insurance Bureau of Canada. She was a recognized expert in the application of federal, Alberta and British Columbia privacy law to the property and casualty insurance industry. A gifted speaker, she enjoyed leading presentations on the application of these privacy laws. Between 2001 and 2004, she delivered training seminars and presentations across Canada, reaching over two thousand people from property and casualty insurance companies, independent brokers and adjusters.