NACLAA Content: Comments From The New Commish
by John Sinclair

NACLAA contracts only the best and brightest to develop its course content, and Gary Dickson is a case in point. Currently penning a module on access and privacy for the Municipal Law II course, the lawyer and former MLA for Calgary-Buffalo was recently appointed as Saskatchewan's Information and Privacy Commissioner, and takes the helm on Nov. 1. Gary took time out of his busy schedule to speak to MuniMall about NACLAA from the perspective of a content developer.

MuniMall: As part of the NACLAA curriculum development process, you were part of a team of subject matter experts, all of whom were developing content for different parts of the course. What were your impressions of the process?
Dickson: It was an interesting experience. I was struck by the excellent credentials of the other developers, and was very impressed by their work. These are all people with real expertise in law as it affects municipalities. There was a strong focus on practical information, and a very real desire on the part of the other developers to create content that was not only accurate, but also accessible, relevant, and practical.

MuniMall: In a typical NACLAA course, recognized experts from around Canada each contribute chunks of content, and communicate as a team using internet and phone technologies. What are the advantages of this method?
Dickson: The most obvious advantage is the breadth of the material. The module writers in Municipal Law II all came from different parts of the country. It would be difficult to draw together in one physical location a group of writers and developers with this breadth of expertise. The distillate of this curriculum development process is particularly rich, and has a far wider application than anything that could be developed and taught face to face.

MuniMall: Congratulations on your new job as Saskatchewan's Information and Privacy Commissioner! You must be excited.
Dickson: I'm very much looking forward to it. One interesting part will be the strong municipal slant to my duties. Saskatchewan has separate freedom of information legislation for local authorities, so I'll definitely be keeping my hand in the municipal government area.

MuniMall: We'll miss you in Alberta, Gary, but as a NACLAA writer, we know you're only a mouse click away!

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