Articles by author: Brock University

• Community event to honour Indigenous business leader

  Thursday, June 18, 2026 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE — JUNE 18, 2026 — R0059

  Entrepreneur and advocate Trisha Pitura, co-owner and creative director of Canadian lifestyle brand Mini Tipi, will be honoured at Brock University’s annual Indigenous Leader Speaker Series next week. The free online event will take place Tuesday, June 23 from noon to 1 p.m.

  As Mini Tipi’s creative director, she’s passionate about building meaningful connections, driving positive change and celebrating Indigenous artistry. Through her work, Pitura reconnects with her Ojibwe identity using textiles and creativity.

  “Indigenous leadership is about creating space for our stories, our values and our communities to be seen and celebrated,” she says.

  The event is a collaboration between Brock’s Indigenous Engagement Office and the Goodman School of Business, and Pitura will be joined in conversation by Interim Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement Shelia Cote-Meek.

  “Trisha’s leadership speaks to the possibilities of Indigenous entrepreneurship when culture, creativity and business excellence come together,” says Cote-Meek, who selected Pitura as this year’s honouree. “Her work is an important example for students, faculty, staff and community members of how Indigenous values can shape innovative and ethical approaches to business.”

  Pitura says she’s looking forward to the conversation with Meek-Cote, during which she will reflect on leadership and share how she’s building a business that honours where she comes from while also opening doors for future generations.

  “Through Mini Tipi, [co-founder] Melanie [Bernard] and I are building a business that reflects reconciliation in action, grounded in respect, relationships and shared responsibility,” Pitura says. “Our approach is rooted in authenticity, strong values and a commitment to proper representation of Indigenous stories, voices and artistry. We believe business can be a powerful space to create understanding, celebrate culture and show what meaningful collaboration can look like when it is led with care and purpose.”

  For Goodman Dean Barry Wright, the speaker series is not only an important way to amplify the voices of Indigenous leaders but also offers students and the community an opportunity to hear directly from an entrepreneur who has built a brand that excels in design and innovation while bridging culture and purpose.

  “Hearing from Trisha will inspire our students to think more boldly, lead authentically and recognize how business can be both a powerful vehicle for personal expression and social impact,” Wright says.

  This is the sixth annual Indigenous Leaders Speakers Series. Previous honourees include celebrated changemaker Fallon Farinnacci; Jon Davey (BA ’05), Vice-President, CEO Support at Scotiabank; Karen MacKenzie, co-founder and President of MacKintosh Canada; Mallory Yawnghwe, founder and CEO of Indigenous Box; and Jenn Harper, founder of Cheekbone Beauty Inc.

  To receive a link to the free community webinar, register online through the speaker series website.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases

• Privacy bill requires stronger protection for biometric data: Brock expert

  Thursday, June 18, 2026 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY — JUNE 18, 2026 — R0058

  The first reading of the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act (Bill C-36) in the House of Commons has reignited public conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes, surveillance pricing and other ways technology platforms use private data from Canadians.

  For data and privacy expert Karen Louise Smith in Brock University’s Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, the brief definition of biometric information in the bill’s current text doesn’t adequately address the risks associated with this type of information.

  Biometric data includes any physical or behavioural information that can be used to identify someone, including a fingerprint, their facial structure or a voiceprint. Even a person’s gait or brainwaves can be extracted and used for identification.

  With these and many other forms of biometric data being captured by technology firms daily, Smith says many people are unaware of how this identifying data can be used and why it is so important to protect it.

  “While Bill C-36 lists biometric data as sensitive, I was surprised that it didn’t receive much attention in the draft bill,” Smith says. “The current language also lacks specificity around the forms of data from which biometrics can be derived.”

  Clear definitions and regulatory guidance are essential to protect Canadians using private services because those services are expected to abide by local laws.

  “Various software vendors and companies that process our data will state in privacy policies that data may be considered biometric in some jurisdictions or reference the fact that they comply with data protection legislation in a given region,” she explains. “Therefore, a clear definition is beneficial to the public interest.”

  Smith’s work related to privacy and biometrics has focused on the urgent need to treat children’s data as sensitive, which she was pleased to see reflected in the bill. However, she also believes much remains at stake for Canadians of all ages.

  “It’s my opinion that we need to be incredibly careful with videos, voice data and also behavioural data,” she says. “It’s reasonable to presume that biometrics could be derived from those formats in many cases. Many businesses position that data as the fuel for smart, AI-powered algorithms.”

  Smith says the importance of regulation around biometric data extraction is closely connected to the government’s newly announced AI strategy, which articulates the need for modernizing privacy laws to reflect the risks associated with AI training and usage.

  “With Canada’s National AI Strategy: AI for All, the government hopes to set a path towards safe, trustworthy AI that doesn’t perpetuate biases,” she says. “Multiple issues and incidents have shown that AI can be biased in various ways, such as certain kinds of facial recognition technologies that display racial or ability-based biases.”

  For Smith, the desire for trustworthy AI is closely tied to how biometric data is extracted and used, especially as more routine tasks at work and in schools involve the collection of video and audio files as well as behavioural data. Many online users, she says, are likely unaware intensive monitoring of clicks, keystrokes and other digital interactions can be used to identify them.

  She says these files can become vulnerable unless legislation requires a high standard of protection due to the data’s sensitive nature.

  “Imagine a university student from one of my classes submits their resumé and a five-minute video introduction as part of an application to a company for a summer job,” she says. “If the company’s job application portal gets hacked, my student’s application — including their name, address and a video of them speaking — is potentially part of the data breach. I’m curious to know how regulators will respond to the risks of biometrics being derived from video data that gets stolen by hackers?”

  Karen Louise Smith, Associate Professor in Brock University’s Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, is available for media interviews on this topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases