Marc Yu
Marc Yu
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Marc Yu is an Edmonton-based lawyer focussing in the areas of health, insurance and privacy law. In his health law practice, Marc defends professional and institutional liability claims and his clients include health authorities, hospitals and healthcare workers. Marc also provides advice to territorial governments on policy and legislative drafting in the areas of professional regulation, mental health, public health and healthcare reorganization.

Marc has experience across a number of areas of insurance law including bodily injury, property loss, subrogated claims, and professional liability. In his privacy practice, clients rely on Marc for to provide advice on issues relating to access to information requests, privacy impact assessments, privacy policies and privacy breaches. Marc regularly represents organizations and public bodies before the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Marc believes in client education as a key component of a successful relationship and delivers regular educational sessions to clients of the firm, and also through his role as an educator at the University of Alberta.

Clients come to Marc for support on a number of issues, including:

  • Medical-legal experience in the areas of malpractice defence, early dispute resolution of claims, and legislative drafting for a wide number of areas of health and social services.
  • Guidance with developing, improving and implementing company-wide privacy policies and human resource privacy initiatives.
  • Support across a number of components of insurance law, including bodily injury, property loss, subrogated claims, and professional liability.

Value to Clients

“I believe in providing clients with legal advice they would expect from our firm along with business-oriented solutions.  Locating the law is usually only the first step, as it needs to be translated into practical advice that can be integrated into the day-to-day activities of the client’s business environment.” 

Outside the Office

“I love living in a dynamic, growing city like Edmonton – there’s always something to do,” says the urban explorer. Whether he’s engaging with the city’s growing arts and culture scene, painting in acrylic or pastels, or playing tennis, Marc is always looking for ways to make the most of his time outside of work.

Canadian Bar Association Alberta
Privacy Section (North) Executive Member
2023 - Present
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Clinical Faculty
Member
2013 - Present
Canadian Bar Association Alberta, Health Law Section (North)
Member
2011 - Present
Canadian Bar Association, Health Law Section
Chair
2018 - 2021
Canadian Bar Association, Health Law Section
Executive Member
2012 - 2018
Canadian Bar Association Law Day
Chair
2018 - 2020
Provincial Court of Alberta
Civil Duty Counsel
2015 - 2018
Williams v Rosenstock, 2020 ABQB 303
Edmonton Police Service v Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner), 2020 ABQB 207
Edmonton Police Service v Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner), 2020 ABQB 10
McAvena v. Byrne, 2013 ABQB 306
November 2024 - 4 min read
Welcome POPA: Alberta Introduces the Protection of Privacy Act
The Government of Alberta introduced Bill 33: the Protection of Privacy Act (POPA) to replace the existing Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). POPA does not represent an entire reworking of existing legislati...
April 2024 - 6 min read
New Procedures Introduced at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta has revised procedures for handling access to information reviews and privacy complaints under FOIPPA, PIPA, and HIA. These changes aim to expedite processing times...
February 2024
2023 - A Year in Review: Labour + Employment (Part 2)
Seminars + Webinar
Join members of our Labour + Employment Group for our annual Year in Review, which focuses on legal updates for management and employee groups.Part 2 of this series covered Employment, Privacy and Human Rights. To view Part 1, ...
October 26, 2023
Unpacking Concussion Injuries with Dr. Martin Mrazik
Webinar
In the ever-evolving landscape of insurance law, staying up to date on developments in the areas of concussions, mild traumatic brain injuries, and post-concussive syndrome is vital. Understanding recent cases and their outcomes is crucial for making i...
September 2022
Privacy Torts + Vicarious Liability: What Can Organizations Do?
Over the last two decades, we have slowly realized that our personal information is not nearly as personal or private as it used to be. It seems that someone or something is attempting to collect and use our personal information at every turn. Both the...
February 3, 2022
Financial + Legal Checkup for Medical Practitioners
Webinar
What legal issues should medical practitioners be aware of when operating a private practice? What financial processes should be in place to support the business's health?  Join Field Law's Britt Tetz and Marc Yu and KWB Chartered Profe...
May 2021
Gone Phishing? Cybersecurity Issues Are a Recurring Struggle for Organizations
The prevalence of fraudulent activity has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 alone, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported 70,948 cases of fraud, with $108.8M lost to fraud. Between March 6, 2020, and March 31, 2021 alone, $7.25...
May 5, 2021
The Modernization of Canadian Privacy Law: Where Are We Heading?
Seminars
Individuals and organizations, both large and small, are increasingly faced with challenging issues in the area of privacy and information handling. Bill C-11, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020, seeks to modernize Canadian privacy legis...
March 2021
Canada’s new privacy regime in Alberta
Canadian Bar Association
December 2020 - 3 min read
New Year, New Privacy Amendments?
What May be in Store for Alberta’s Public and Private Sectors
This year has been marked by accelerated efforts to amend existing federal and provincial privacy legislation.  As anticipated, the Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner (Commissioner) has proposed a number of amendments to the Freedom of I...
November 2020
Alberta's Health Information Act: What is Changing?
Bill 46: Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2020 (Bill 46) was recently introduced in the Alberta Legislature. The omnibus bill amends a number of pieces of health legislation, including the Health Information Act (HIA). As the Minister of Health...
November 2020 - 5 min read
European Influence and the Modernization of Canadian Privacy Law: Is Alberta Next?
Canada’s privacy laws have arguably lagged behind the European Union for years. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has incorporated a human rights-based approach to privacy within its data protection legislati...
July 7, 2020
Privacy for Health Care Organizations: What Has Changed and What Hasn’t?
Webinar
Health care organizations have had to adapt quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to managing an unknown disease and focusing on patient care, day to day operational life has changed- videoconferencing, fit for work screening, and liab...
May 2020 - 4 min read
The ABTraceTogether App - Key Privacy Considerations
In a bid to help combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Alberta has become the first Canadian province to launch a contact tracing app to track community transmission of COVID-19.Alberta released the app, ABTraceTogether, on May 1, 2020...
February 2020
Access to Information and Privilege: The Saga Continues
The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench has provided some much-needed guidance on solicitor-client privilege in the context of access to information requests in Edmonton Police Service v. Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner), 2020 ...
September 2019
Immunizations and Immunity Provisions: The Scope of Protection Under the Public Health Act
The Alberta Court of Appeal has issued a decision involving the interpretation of the Alberta Public Health Act, which may have broad implications on limiting liability of public bodies. Frank v. Alberta Health Services, 2019 ABCA 332 involves a medica...

We were approached by an insurance company whose insured had made an access to information request for records relating to an insurance claim. The insurance company wanted to preserve its relationship with the insured while protecting internal records.

Working with the client and insurance adjuster, we reviewed the records being sought by the insured and devised a fair approach to the access request. We gave the insured access to a substantial amount of records to alleviate concerns over the claim's handling while maintaining a firm approach in withholding records that were sensitive to the client. The insured sought a review of our response to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. We maintained our position, taking into account the need to set a precedent for future access requests that may be made to the client by other individuals.

We successfully defended our position before the Privacy Commissioner and also managed to avoid further Inquiry. Processes before the Privacy Commissioner can take time to resolve, and we were able to provide regular updates on the status and minimize expenses incurred.

Education
University of Alberta, 2011, Juris Doctor
University of Alberta, 2007, Bachelor of Science, Medical Laboratory Science, With Distinction and Honours in Research
Admissions
Northwest Territories,2014
Alberta,2012