The first episode of the new season of the Lawbytes podcast is dedicated to my good friend and colleague Ian Kerr, a giant in the law and technology field, who passed away on August 27th after battling complications arising from cancer. Ian’s generosity, warmth, and good humour touched the lives of thousands of people. Whether national privacy commissioners or first-year law students, he made time for everyone, offering encouragement, insight, and a deeply held view that everyone had an opportunity and responsibility to help shape our collective digital future. The Faculty of Law plans to celebrate Ian in an event scheduled for Friday, September 27th at 11:30 am. There is also an Ian R. Kerr Memorial Fund that will support scholarships, fellowships, activities and initiatives honouring his legacy.

This podcast episode wasn’t easy to create but I wanted to highlight his exceptional talent as a teacher and advocate. The episode features five clips that each call attention to different strengths. Ian reading from Carl Sagan opens the episode, highlighting Ian’s innate ability to bridge disciplines and reach a wide audience. The episode also features two house of commons committee appearances: one demonstrating how Ian was so often prescient on key issues and the other illustrating his deep commitment  to gender equality. There is also an interview showcasing his advocacy skills and a lecture at the University of Montreal on health and AI, which holds personal significance since we spent the day together along with past and, as it turned out, future colleagues.

The podcast can be downloaded here and is embedded below. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Google Play, Spotify or the RSS feed. Updates on the podcast on Twitter at @Lawbytespod.

Ian Kerr Tributes

Obituary for Ian Randall Kerr
In Memoriam: My Dear Friend and Colleague Ian Kerr
Faculty of Law Mourns the Death of Professor Ian Kerr
Ian Kerr 1965-2019

Credits:

CBC Radio, An Excerpt From ‘A Pale Blue Dot’
Standing Committee on Access to Information, Ethics and Privacy, June 12, 2012
Standing Committee on Access to Information, Ethics and Privacy, April 4, 2017
CTV Canada AM, Ban Killer Robots
Droit/Law+Tech | Ian Kerr – Robots and their Human Counterparts