What is a serial applicant and how does this concept/reality impact on the access to information regime? One challenge faced by government institutions with ATI requests, is the ‘serial applicant’. Over a short period of time, this person will make a large number of requests, often repetitive in nature. This creates a substantial amount of…
Celebrate Data Privacy Day On January 28, along with many other countries around the world, Canada celebrates Data Privacy Day. This is an opportunity for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioners to shine a spotlight on the impact technology is having on personal privacy rights while offering key points on the importance and…
“What records do you want to access?” Asks the ‘FOIP: Request to Access Information’ form found here. The ultimate question is whether a reasonable person would be able to retrieve a record after reviewing the specific details provided in the request. In 2018, I was a member of the public at a Right to Know forum,…
The ‘Spirit of the Act’ can be found in the interpretation and decision making process as well as the Purpose of the Access to Information Act (ATIA), which is “to extend the law of Canada to provide a right of access according to the principles that government information should be available to the public and…
Personal Information of a natural person (i.e. not a corporation, union, association, partnership, or charity) can include photographs, business email addresses, employee identification number, computer IP address, and customers in store behaviour. Found in Schedule 1 of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) are the ten fair information principles which were extracted from…
To enforce Information Access and Protection of Privacy legislation, jurisdictions have formed different oversight bodies. In Canada, the two most popular are the ‘adjudicative’ commissioner, with binding order-making power, and the ‘advisory’ commissioner or Ombudsman, which can make recommendations, but has no authority to make orders. Should the Commissioner’s decision be unsatisfactory, an application for…
Under the Health Information Act (HIA), third parties in Alberta cannot lawfully obtain Personal Health Information (PHI), or disclose obtained information, without the owner’s (individual’s) consent. The legislation begins with a duty of confidentiality and prohibition against disclosure unless consent is received. It is important to note that not all circumstances recognized under the HIA…
This survey is intended to identify the attitudes and knowledge different generations have regarding privacy matters. Please complete this 5 minute survey to help us better understand privacy related matters between different generational gaps. Thank you for your time. Please answer truthfully as personal results are anonymous. Click HERE to take the survey Thank you…
I was introduced to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner in September 2016 when I called to inquire about how to submit a privacy breach complaint. Since 2016, I have gotten to know the OIPC like a good friend. However, as the majority of my dozen complaints against Alberta’s only health authority, Alberta…
What is Screen-Free Week? Get Ready Edmonton for Screen-Free Week! Annually, children are invited to experiences beyond their personal devices to play and explore, even rediscover the joy which can be found additional to ‘entertainment screens’. Entertainment screens are those used to play games, ‘Netflix and chill’, or just to scroll. During the first week…