Simmie Palter

Simmie is a partner of INQ Law, and over the last two decades, has built a diverse health law practice that includes governance, health privacy, clinical and records issues, data sharing, corporate/commercial agreements, freedom of information and risk management.

Simmie strives to give practical and timely solutions to legal problems. She enjoys building positive long-term relationships with clients that include hospitals, long-term care homes, health profession associations, community mental health agencies, family health teams, physician groups, community health clinics, agencies and disease charities.

Simmie’s previous experience as legal counsel at the Ontario Ministry of Health where she drafted and interpreted laws about regulated health professions, ambulance and emergency services, and drug benefit programs, informs all aspects of her current practice.

Simmie regularly speaks and writes on topics related to health and privacy law. Currently, she is the deputy editor-in-chief of Health Law in Canada, a publication of Lexis Nexis Canada in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Institute for Health Policy Management and Evaluation.

Recent Experience

• Governance agreements and advice to improve decision-making among health professionals
• Interpretation and application of pandemic orders and public health directives
• Agreements for long-term care homes
• Privacy and freedom of information policies and training
• Data sharing agreements for health research, quality improvement and community mental health services
• Caregiver and family engagement strategies
• Virtual care start-ups

Insights & Recognition

• Author: Privacy and Ontario Health Teams (2020)
• Author: Long-term care in Ontario: Can we find light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel? (2020)Co-author: Toward implementation of national pharmacare (2018)
• Author: Excised diagnostic tissue is hospital property: What about privacy interests? (2014)
• Co-author: The rise of data sharing in the health care sector: Tips for drafting legal agreements (2014)
• Author: Is labour mobility for health professionals the back door to registration? (2010)
• Author: Hill v. Victoria Hospital Corp. exemplifies recent trends in informed consent litigation. (2009)

Affiliations

• Law Society of Ontario (Member since 1998)
• Ontario and Canadian Bar Associations (Member)
• Health Law in Canada (Deputy editor-in-chief)