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The Applicant made an access request under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) to CUPE Alberta Regional Office (the Organization) requesting all records regarding her. The Organization located responsive records, withholding some in part and some in their entirety under various exceptions. The Applicant requested a review into the Organization’s search for records, as well as its application of exceptions to access. Following this review, the Applicant requested an inquiry into the Organization’s decisions to withhold information in specific pages, under sections 24(2)(a), 24(2)(c), 24(3)(b), and 24(3)(c). The Adjudicator found that much of the information in the records was not… Read More...

An Applicant made an access request to the Calgary Police Service (the Public Body) under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act), on May 23, 2024. By November 2, 2024, the Public Body had not responded to the Applicant’s request and the Applicant requested a review of the Public Body’s failure to respond. The Adjudicator ordered the Public Body to respond to the Applicant’s access request as required by the Act. Read More...

An Applicant made an access request to the Calgary Police Service (Public Body) under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act), on June 17, 2024. By November 2, 2024, the Public Body had not responded to the Applicant’s request and the Applicant requested a review of the Public Body’s failure to respond. The Adjudicator ordered the Public Body to respond to the Applicant’s access request as required by the Act. Read More...

Amendments may include expanding access to Albertans’ health information and its use to develop and use innovative technology such as artificial intelligence The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Alberta is releasing three reports that summarize engagement work the Commissioner has done with Albertans on the Health Information Act (HIA). The surveys, sent out in the latter part of 2024, asked for the views of the public, researchers, and custodians, including members of regulated professional colleges, about their interactions with HIA. HIA governs the collection, use, disclosure and management of health information. It protects the privacy of… Read More...

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Alberta conducted an engagement project in late 2024 regarding the Health Information Act (HIA). The OIPC conducted a number of surveys asking members of the public, researchers and custodians (including members of regulated professional colleges) about their interactions with HIA. The Government of Alberta had informed the OIPC in the fall of 2024 that as part of its restructuring of the health care system, it was planning to amend HIA to address any changes needed due to the restructuring and it would also consider modernizing the legislation at that time.… Read More...

The Commissioner notes the work her office is doing and suggests possible courses of action for those affected The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Alberta has received 31 breach notices to date from Alberta educational institutions about unauthorized access to personal information of students attending those educational institutions, which were using the PowerSchool platform. In some cases, the personal information of educators was also mentioned in the breach notices. PowerSchool is a cloud-based platform used by students, educators and educational institutions around the globe. According to a notice posted on PowerSchool’s website, there was an unauthorized… Read More...

Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner notes the need for changes to the law EDMONTON – The Edmonton Court of Justice has fined a former employee of Alberta Health Services (AHS) $2000.00 after she pled guilty to unauthorized disclosure of health information of one person in 2020, contrary to the Health Information Act (HIA) of Alberta. Kayla Satre was working as an Administrative IV Medical Secretary at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. In her position, she had access to Connect Care, a centralized patient information system, and Netcare, the provincial electronic health information system, in order to perform her… Read More...

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The Complainant made a complaint under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act) that the Metis Settlements Appeal Tribunal (the Public Body) collected, used and disclosed the Complainant’s personal information in contravention of the Act. The Complainant was a party to a proceeding before the Public Body. The Complainant alleged that the Public Body collected, used and disclosed their personal information in the course of that proceeding, without authority to do so. The Complainant also alleged that the Public Body failed to fulfill its obligations under the Act to have adequate safeguards to protect personal information.… Read More...

The Applicant, a former student who had made a complaint of misconduct about a professor of the University of Calgary (the Public Body), made an access request to the Public Body under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the FOIP Act) for access to the following: 1) the final investigation report produced for the protected disclosure investigation into the conduct of [professor ….]; and 2) records related to corrective action taken The Public Body refused to provide the investigation report on the ground that it was exempt from the FOIP Act by application of section 4(1)(b) of… Read More...

This Order is a reconsideration of Order F2019-19/H2019-01, which concerned Alberta Health Services’ (the Public Body’s) response to an access request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act). On judicial review of that Order, the Court of Queen’s Bench quashed the Order in part. The Court directed a reconsideration of one exception to access applied by the Public Body. In accordance with the Court’s direction, this reconsideration addresses the Public Body’s application of section 24(1)(b)(i) to specific information in the records. The Adjudicator found that section 24(1)(b) applies to some, but not all, of the… Read More...

An Applicant made an access request to Health (the Public Body) under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the FOIP Act) for records regarding discussions with DynaLIFEDx about the transfer of lab services. The Public Body invited DynaLIFEDx (the Third Party) to provide input regarding disclosure of the records relating to the Third Party. After this consultation, the Public Body decided to apply section 16(1) to some, but not all, of the information in the responsive records. The Public Body informed the Third Party of its decisions regarding access, and the Third Party requested a review of… Read More...

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The Applicant made an access request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the FOIP Act) to the University of Alberta (the Public Body) for records containing any information relating to action taken by the Public Body regarding four complaints he had made. The Public Body searched for and located responsive records. It severed some information from them under section 24 (advice from officials) and as “non-responsive”. The Applicant questioned whether he had received all responsive records and also sought review of the Public Body’s severing decisions. Prior to the inquiry, the Public Body decided to provide… Read More...

Fine imposed was the third largest fine in history of the Act A former employee of Alberta Health Services (AHS) has been fined $12,000 for the offence of knowingly using and creating health information in contravention of the Health Information Act (HIA). The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) opened an offence investigation into this matter in June 2023 after AHS submitted a breach report to the OIPC. After the investigation, in March 2024, the OIPC charged Hind Mahmoud Dabash with falsifying Covid-19 immunization records of nearly 200 people from September 3, 2021 to November 24, 2021 while… Read More...

An Applicant made an access request to Alberta Justice and Solicitor General (now Justice, the Public Body) under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the FOIP Act) for records relating to the process for obtaining McNeil disclosures from the Edmonton Police Service. The Public Body responded by providing some information to the Applicant but withholding most of the information in the responsive records under sections 17(1), 20(1), 21(1), 24(1), 25(1), and 27(1). The Applicant requested an inquiry regarding the Public Body’s application of sections 17(1), 20(1), 24(1), 25(1), and 27(1), as well as the Public Body’s characterization… Read More...

Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the FOIP Act), the Applicant made an access to information request to Brazeau County (the Public Body). The Applicant sought the names of those who received rebates through the Public Body’s Herbicide Rebate Program (the Program). The Public Body withheld the names on the basis that disclosing them would be an unreasonable invasion of third party personal privacy pursuant to section 17(1) of the FOIP Act. The Adjudicator found that the names were details of a discretionary benefit of a financial nature granted by the Public Body under section 17(2)(h)… Read More...

A joint resolution on transparency by default, calling for a new standard in government service, was issued by Canada’s privacy authorities after their annual meeting in Toronto in October 2024. A news release on the resolution was issued on December 10, 2024. The resolution is available on the website of the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada. Transparency by default – Information Regulators Call for a New Standard in Government Service December 2024 Read More...

Gatineau, Québec – In a joint resolution, Canada’s information commissioners and ombuds from federal, provincial, and territorial jurisdictions are pressing their respective governments to prioritize transparency in the design and implementation of new systems, administrative processes, procedures, and governance models. This resolution reflects the need for a new standard in government operations and a collective commitment to fostering a culture of transparency and accountability across all levels of government in Canada. Canada’s information and privacy regulators believe that by adhering to eight key principles, public bodies and institutions can enhance public trust and ensure that government actions and decisions are… Read More...

A joint resolution on responsible information-sharing in situations involving intimate partner violence was issued by Canada’s privacy authorities after their annual meeting in Toronto in October 2024.  The resolution is available on the website of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Responsible information-sharing in situations involving intimate partner violence November 2024 Read More...