Good morning.

And thank you Commissioner Ann Cavoukian for that introduction and for all you do to safeguard our privacy here in Ontario. 

I'd like to extend a special welcome to Dr. Kai Rannenberg [T-Mobile Chair, Mobile Business and Multilateral Security, Goethe University, Frankfurt] ...

N. Arthur Smith, [Founder and CEO of GS1 Canada] ...

And all of today's speakers.

Thank you for the work you do, for sharing your expertise and for keeping our privacy protected.

With the rise of social media sites like Facebook, where everyone is your friend,

Or where someone's every thought is tweeted to the world ...

To Google maps and street view, where anyone can see if your garage door needs a touch of paint ...

And identity theft is becoming the high-tech crime-of-choice in the 21^st century.

There is an old saying intended to be both a blessing and a curse: "May you live in interesting times."

These are certainly interesting times. 

Never before have we had so much public information at our fingertips. And never before has safeguarding private information become such an enormous responsibility.

So we need people -- we need experts -- to help us navigate these interesting times.

And that's where you come in.

I am tremendously thankful that you're taking this opportunity to meet and to network on our behalf.

We know that we can't turn the clock back on technology.

But we do know that we have the capacity to outsmart hackers and the thieves,

by investing in "privacy by design," as Ann calls it.

Consider how much information you have on your BlackBerry. Imagine losing it.

That's why protecting data privacy is something we need to think of as much as the latest app.

We're continually doing that, in our government. 

The Ontario government has some of the strictest privacy protection in the world.

It's something we're building into our products, services, policies and processes,

particularly when it comes to health records, which are the most sensitive and personal information we handle, as a government.

Every day, we have some of our best people within government working on new ways, on better ways, to keep that information in the right hands and out of the wrong hands.

And it's good to know that we have Ontario companies, some of whom are here today, who are helping our people stay one step ahead of the scammers and criminals. 

They should be easy to find -- they're the guys in the white hats.

So, once again, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here,

for taking this opportunity to network and to share information with each other.

So that Ontarians can continue to share their information -- knowing that they are safe and secure.

Thank you and have a great conference.