The IPC helps Ontarians exercise their access and privacy rights by striving to resolve appeals and complaints in a timely way and issuing decisions that are fair, plain language, and practical. We support understanding of the law by publishing actionable guidance based on trends and lessons learned from individual cases.
Enhancements to tribunal efficiency and responsiveness
Over the past five years, the IPC has seen a 30 per cent increase in incoming files, rising from 2,768 in 2020 to a record high of 3,613 in 2024. Despite this significant growth in caseload, we have made substantial improvements in efficiency, ensuring that Ontarians receive timely resolutions to their privacy and access concerns.
In 2024, the IPC closed 3,084 files, marking the highest number of closures in IPC history. Of those, 2,719, or 88 per cent, were successfully resolved or dismissed through early resolution, expedited process or mediation, avoiding the need for lengthy adjudication. At the same time, we reduced the average time to resolve access appeals by 8 per cent, from 10.7 months in 2023 to 9.9 months in 2024. Average time to resolve privacy complaints saw an even greater drop in average processing time of 9 per cent, from 5.9 months to 5.4 months. We managed to reduce the backlog by more than 17 per cent from the beginning to the end of 2024.
Looking ahead, we will continue to build on these efficiencies to manage growing demand while maintaining the highest standards of service.
Tribunal efficiency at a glance
A Review of Noteworthy Cases
Over the past several years, Ontario organizations have become increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority’s 2024 Cybersecurity Survey, the risks of cyberattacks, particularly to municipalities, universities, schools and hospitals —or the MUSH sector — are on a rise. The survey found that 55 per cent of MUSH sector organizations had experienced a cyberattack in 2024, compared to 38 per cent in 2023. Of these attacks on MUSH sector organizations in 2024, 29 per cent were successful, compared to 22 per cent in 2023.
IPC in the courts
This year, the issue of individuals submitting multiple appeals or complaints to our tribunal led to important developments in our processes, including the adoption of a File Processing Limitation Policy. A 2024 Ontario Divisional Court ruling dismissed an application for judicial review brought by an appellant who challenged the IPC’s decision to limit the number of files they could actively pursue at one time. The court found that the IPC’s file processing limits amount to reasonable administrative directions that allow the IPC to control its own process and manage its limited resources effectively.
FOI, privacy and performance in 2024
Under Ontario’s privacy laws, public institutions are required to provide annual compliance statistics to the IPC, which we collate into an annual statistics report and use to provide insights into notable trends to the Ontario Legislative Assembly.
In 2024, Ontarians submitted 70,293 freedom of information requests, more than a 6 per cent increase over the previous year.
Response rates, indicated by the number of access requests fulfilled within a 30-day timeframe, varied across sectors. For provincial institutions subject to FIPPA, over 78 per cent of access requests were completed within 30 days, signifying a notable improvement compared to 2023, when just 67 per cent of requests were completed within 30 days.
Access appeals opened in 2024, by type of record
| General Provincial | 564 | |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Provincial | 184 | |
| General Municipal | 752 | |
| Personal Municipal | 231 |
Banner: Original artwork by Aedán Crooke of Surface Impression, commissioned for the IPC's Transparency Showcase.