We’ve all been there. Waiting in line, alone, 1 or 2 spots away from the customer service counter at the local Registries office. Looking around the office, you see new furniture, smell fresh paint and hear the receptionist’s squeaky voice on repeat, “Hello, **** Registries and Insurance Office, how can I help you?” You focus…
Nearly each Canadian has an Electronic Medical or Health Record (EMR) which has the potential, when used lawfully, to help improve health outcomes and patient safety through preventive care and chronic disease management and save money.“100 per cent of Canadians have at least one hospital clinical report, or their immunization record, available in electronic form,…
Just what is privacy? It is useful to consider privacy as a kind of personal thing or interest, among many others, that some people like to have lots of. “Privacy is the interest that individuals have in sustaining ‘personal space’, free from interference by other people and organizations” “It is the desire by each of us…
The Alberta Budget is a hot topic, no matter the angle you personally take. School Boards are concerned that tax-payer dollars are not being spent properly. So concerned that just this week, I received an email from Chair of the School’s Parent Council which read, “we have been advised that the government is not listening…
Albertans have a growing interest and expressed concern about the practice retailers have developed around the collection of their Personal Identifiable Information, specifically their Driver’s Licence digits. Retailers have an obligation to consider gathering Driver’s Licence Numbers and are encouraged to carefully consider if they actually need this information or not. They are also required…
Each waking moment of each day, most of us leave a trail of data behind, like breadcrumbs but not for cute fairytale purposes, rather the opposite, for others to collect, combine with other data, analyse, alter and even sell- all without your consent and often without your knowledge. In January 2020, the Office of the…
Alberta Privacy Breaches Highlight a Continued Need for Privacy Training You are likely aware by now that under the Health Information Act (HIA), as of August 31, 2018, health information breach reporting and notification requirements became mandatory. The results of this amendment seemed somewhat difficult to predict by the investigative body itself, however, if you…
Raising children is challenging, even more so once your kids are using the internet. As a parent, your role is important, even if you are not as tech savvy as your pre-teen. Conversations around digital devices as children grow will help create an atmosphere that is comfortable for children to approach you should anything go…
You have Rights to Access! Here’s how to do it. FOIP Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act, you are permitted to ask for access to any record, including your own personal information under the control of a public body. Each public body has a FOIP representative who is responsible for…
Privacy Breaches are happening more and more often and today, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) released another notice to Albertans which potentially affects 21,670 people who trusted their personal health information was secure. Find notice here Privacy Breaches are not easy to navigate or talk about, but when your name, address, email, logins,…