ATIA / POPA Resources

On June 11, 2025, Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) was repealed and replaced with the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and the Protection of Privacy Act (POPA). The ATIA and POPA apply to public bodies, including government departments, municipalities, police services, and many more.

ATIA establishes rights for persons to access records, as defined in the ATIA, that are in the custody or control of public bodies subject to limited and specific exceptions.

POPA establishes privacy rights for Albertans concerning personal information. It also permits public bodies to collect, use or disclose personal information in new ways, including for data matching and to create non-personal data.

To assist public bodies in implementing the new Acts and in meeting new obligations thereunder, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has developed resources, which we have listed here.

If you have any questions about these resources, please contact generalinfo@oipc.ab.ca.

 

Notice of Review procedures changes

The OIPC is making changes to its review processes for the settlement and inquiry phases of a review (including expedited inquiries on certain case types), which will come into effect when ATIA and POPA come into force in June 2025.

Click here for a summary of those changes: https://oipc.ab.ca/notice-changes-review-processes-atia-popa/

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Review and Complaint procedures – Settlement and Inquiry Phases

These documents provide parties with a summary of the procedures under which reviews are conducted by the OIPC at the settlement phase, which is typically the first phase of a review:

Procedures for Reviews and Privacy Complaints - Settlement Phase - ATIA and POPA

Procedures for Reviews and Privacy Complaints - Settlement Phase - FOIP, HIA, PIPA

This document provides parties with a summary of the procedures under which reviews are conducted by the OIPC at the inquiry phase, which generally follows the settlement phase of a review:

Practice Note - Inquiry Procedures

For more information about procedures, see the information on this page: How OIPC Conducts Reviews

 

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For the Public – Forms for Review of Access to Information Requests under ATIA

If your review concerns your request to access information from a public body on or after June 11, 2025, use this form here: ATIA RFR form

If your review concerns a notice from a public body about its decision to give access to your personal or business information (third party review) on or after June 11, 2025, and you want a review of the public body’s decision, use this form here: ATIA Third-Party RFR form

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For the Public – Forms for Privacy/Correction Complaints under POPA

If you want to make a complaint about the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information or request a review of a correction request concerning a public body on or after June 11, 2025, use this form here: POPA Privacy / Correction Request Form

 

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Expedited Inquiries under ATIA concerning a public body’s decision to extend its time to respond, disregard a request, or abandon a request

The OIPC has established a new expedited inquiries function to expedite reviews under ATIA about the head of a public body’s decision to extend its time to respond to a request, to disregard a request, or to declare a request abandoned.

What is an expedited inquiry? It is a process established to issue a decision relatively quickly for access requests that are disregarded or abandoned, or where a public body has extended the time to respond. The public body will be required to provide our office with a submission on the issue. The applicant is not required to provide a submission, but will be given an opportunity if they wish to do so. Deadlines for providing submissions to an expedited inquiry may be short.

For guidance regarding information required by the Commissioner when conducting an expedited inquiry into a public body’s decision under section 9 or 16 of ATIA, see “Guidance and Assessment Tools” below.

To assist public bodies in making submissions for reviews concerning these authorities, the OIPC has developed submission forms.

Expedited Inquiries Submission Forms:

To make a submission to the OIPC in an expedited inquiry concerning a review of a public body’s decision to extend its time to respond to a request use this form: Expedited Inquiry – Review of a Time Extension Decision Under ATIA Section 16

To make a submission to the OIPC in an expedited inquiry concerning a review of a public body’s decision to disregard a request use this form: Expedited Inquiry – Review of a Disregard Decision Under ATIA Section 9

To make a submission to the OIPC in an expedited inquiry concerning a review of a public body’s decision that a request was abandoned use this form: Expedited Inquiry – Review of an Abandonment Decision Under ATIA Section 10

 

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Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) Template

A PIA template and guidance on the required content of a PIA submission to the OIPC under POPA is available here: POPA PIA Template

To assist public bodies in the preparation of a PIA, a companion PIA Completion Guide is available here: POPA PIA Template Completion Guide

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Form for Reporting a Privacy Breach to the Commissioner

To report a breach, use this form: POPA Breach Notification Form

NOTE: If you are unsure if the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) [repealed June 2025 and replaced by POPA] or POPA applies, please fill in the POPA form and note your concern in section 18 of the form.

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Guidance and Assessment Tools

Expedited Inquiries

If you need assistance in providing the information required by the Commissioner when participating in an expedited inquiry into a public body’s decision under section 9 or 16 of ATIA, see:

Guidance Document – Expedited Inquiry: Request for Review of a Time Extension Decision (ATIA Section 16)

Guidance Document – Expedited Inquiry: Request for Review of a Decision to Disregard a Request (ATIA Section 9)

 

Assessment Tool for PIA Submissions

If you need assistance in determining if you are required to submit a PIA under POPA, see the PIA Submission Assessment Tool

 

Assessment Tool for POPA Breach Notifications

If you need assistance in determining if you should report a breach, you can use the POPA Breach Notice Assessment Tool

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Privacy and Access laws publications

Access to Information Laws in Alberta

For an overview of the access to information laws in effect in Alberta, click here: https://oipc.ab.ca/overview-access-laws

 

Privacy Laws in Alberta

For an overview of the privacy laws in effect in Alberta, click here: https://oipc.ab.ca/overview-privacy-laws

 

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June 2025

Disclaimer

This document is not intended as, nor is it a substitute for, legal advice, and is not binding on the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta. Responsibility for compliance with the law (and any applicable professional or trade standards or requirements) remains with each organization, custodian or public body. All examples used are provided as illustrations. The official versions of the laws the OIPC oversees and their associated regulations should be consulted for the exact wording and for all purposes of interpreting and applying the legislation. The Acts are available on the website of Alberta King's Printer.