1. CCCA Conference
Documents and Discovery in
Government
Alberta’s Perspective
February 22, 2010
Denise Bagnell Edwina Podemski
President Barrister & Solicitor
Tri-global Solutions Group Alberta Justice, Civil Law Branch
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2. CCCA Conference - Documents and Discovery in
Government
GOVERNMENT’S
PERSPECTIVE
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 2

3. Complexity of Government
Leadership Roles
Minister
Deputy
Justice
Minister
24 Ministries
Collaboratively Establishing:
Risk Effective governance Information
Management Records management program Technology
Managing eDiscovery
Changing culture
Ensuring buy-in and collaboration
from and among
all parties Information
CIOs
Management
Senior Senior
Financial Records
Officer Officer
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4. Alberta Government
 59,300 Employee – 2009 Stats
◦ Creating a growing amount of information on
a daily basis
◦ All with electronic devices using various
media combining electronically stored
information (ESI)
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5. Devices and Media Containing ESI
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 5

6. Lesson’s Learned:
Information Environment Strategies
 Acquire economical, efficient, and reliable means for creation,
retrieval, maintenance, preservation, and disposition of records in
any electronic media
 Developing an holistic approach: People, Culture, Governance,
Policy
 Implementing an effective Change Management in a complex
environment
 Leverage FOIP, privacy and transparency, government resources to
strengthen eDiscovery readiness
 Improve the methods by which government information, including
information on the internet, is organized, preserved, and made
accessible to the public
 Improve transparency and security of data
 Ensure compliance with legal directives and information requests
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7. Lesson’s Learned:
Resources
 Economic pressures adds to complexity
 Collaboration - all parties need to work together with
records managers to develop strategic plans for e-records
management
Overcoming cultural and
Minister
 Deputy
Justice
language barriers to get
Minister
everyone on the same page
– culture shift required
Risk Information
Management Technology
 Overcoming the funding
challenge of Records CIOs
Information
Management
Management –– poor child Senior Senior
Financial Records
Officer Officer
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8. Lesson’s Learned:
Technology
 Embracing Web 2.0, social networking, cloud computing
and all of the other new technologies with caution -
already a challenge with email and standard applications
– like Word, Excel.
 Overcoming the challenge and frustration of technology
systems obsolete
 Overcoming the perception
storage is cheap
 Addressing the growing types
of media in storage –
i.e.: audio, video

9. Lesson’s Learned:
eDiscovery Technology
 Understanding Technology tools that help –
eDiscovery tools are in their infancy –
integration is an issue
 Acquiring powerful search tools
 Overcoming Siloed Systems
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10. Lesson’s Learned:
Awareness and Abilities
 Training all personnel that create and use records to
ensure compliance
 Developing the core competencies needed for effective
records management and eDiscovery readiness
 Acquiring or developing qualified and experienced
personnel in eDiscovery and electronic records
management
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11. Lesson’s Learned:
Improvement in RIM
 Evaluating, improving,
implementing, and executing
records management policies and
procedures
 Ownership of the record
 Ensuring that functional
management, control, oversight,
and leadership are demonstrated
during the life-cycle management
of records
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12. Lesson’s Learned:
Litigation Hold
 Preparing consistent processes for information
governance before a litigation hold
 Leveraging resources in the most efficient and
effective ways to manage a litigation hold
 Migration and evergreening – maintaining
authenticity and integrity of information
U.S. Army Photo – ENIAC U.S. Army Photo – BRLESC-II Floppy disks USB drive
(circa 1947-1955) (circa 1966) (circa 1976 – 1982) (circa 2000+)
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13. Lesson’s Learned
 Centralizing, decentralization and
reorganization of Government
◦ Functional access to information
◦ Orphaned systems and records
 Outsourcing
◦ Access to information
◦ Cross border issues
◦ Privacy
◦ Costs
◦ Flexibility
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14. Emerging Best Practices:
Litigation Readiness
Establish
Continuous
Communicate Audit &
and Train staff Review
Determine processes
Technology
requirements &
eDiscovery tools
Strategy and
Oversight,&
Policies
eDiscovery
Program
Lead
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15. Documents and Discovery in Government - Alberta
Perspective
QUESTIONS
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