The Protection of Privacy Act (POPA) came into force on June 11, 2025. It replaced the privacy part of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act). The FOIP Act has been repealed and is no longer in force in Alberta, but may still apply in certain circumstances and for a limited time.
POPA applies to public bodies in Alberta. Public bodies include government ministries or departments, government agencies, boards and commissions, school boards, charter schools, universities and colleges, municipalities, municipal police forces and other entities designated in the regulations.
POPA establishes the rules a public body must follow to collect, use and disclose personal information. POPA also establishes rules for public bodies concerning data matching and creating non-personal data.
POPA has provisions concerning when public bodies must submit privacy impact assessments to the Commissioner, requirements concerning privacy management programs (the requirements related to privacy management programs will apply as of June 11, 2026), and privacy breach notification requirements when an incident involving the loss of or unauthorized access to or disclosure of personal information could result in a real risk of significant harm to individuals.
Individuals have rights under POPA as it relates to their personal information including:
- the right to ask a public body to correct their personal information,
- the ability to make a complaint if they believe that their personal information is being collected, used or disclosed contrary to the Act.
The Act also allows individuals to make a complaint to the Commissioner about data derived from personal information or non-personal data that has been created, used or disclosed in contravention of the Act or respecting the actual or attempted re-identification of non-personal data created under the Act.
The full text of the POPA is available here.
Associated regulations include the Protection of Privacy (Ministerial) Regulation and Protection of Privacy Regulation
June 2025