Frank Work, Q.C., Information and Privacy Commissioner, publicly released an investigation report into a complaint against the University of Calgary regarding the disclosure of personal information.
In December 2000, Campus Security was called to an incident involving the Complainant and the Complainant’s spouse. The Complainant was an employee at the University at that time. The incident was recorded in an “Incident Report”. In January 2001, the Complainant’s former supervisor asked and obtained a copy of the Incident Report from Campus Security.
The Complainant claimed the disclosure of the Incident Report to the former supervisor was a breach of privacy. The Complainant said the Incident Report revealed to the former supervisor the Complainant’s home address and information about a vehicle belonging to the Complainant’s spouse.
The Commissioner’s Office determined that the disclosure did not comply with any of the disclosure provisions set out under the Freedom of Information and Protection and Privacy Act (“the FOIP Act”) and made the following recommendations to the University:
- That the University establish written policies and procedures regarding the disclosure of personal information contained in its incident reports.
- That the University ensure its employees are informed of these policies and procedures and their responsibilities under the FOIP Act.
- That the University review requests for incident reports, containing personal information, on a case by case basis to ensure that each disclosure is in compliance with the FOIP Act.
The University accepted the Office’s recommendations.