Commissioner’s Blog

Every month, the IPC makes decisions on access to information appeals and privacy complaints. Here is a sampling of four recent decisions: PO-3801 – A request was made to the Independent Electricity System Operator for financial information in a refurbishment agreement relating to the Bruce Pow...

As 2017 draws to a close, I would like to take a moment to update you on an incredibly busy and productive year at the IPC, one in which my office worked hard to deliver on its mandate on behalf of all Ontarians. Our Year in Numbers A quick look at the IPC’s year in numbers and you can see jus...

Today my office made a submission to the Standing Committee on General Government to provide comments and concerns about Bill 160, The Strengthening Quality and Accountability for Patients Act, 2017. Bill 160 introduces three new pieces of health care legislation and amends an additional seven. T...

Today the IPC issued annual privacy breach reporting requirements to the health sector. Starting in March 2019 health information custodians will be required to provide our office with an annual report on the number of privacy breaches that occurred during the previous calendar year. Under the Pe...

The IPC recognizes Media Literacy Week by shining a spotlight on the importance of privacy education on digital and media literacy for young people everywhere. In an increasingly digital world, the prevalence of cyberbullying, sexting, hacking, email scams and other threats has made it more impor...

The Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) will be hosting a special event in Windsor on November 30, 2017, as part of the IPC’s Reaching Out to Ontario program. Commissioner Brian Beamish and other IPC executives will use this occasion to update Ontarians on the emerging access and privacy...

Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) today released a review of online educational services used by educators and students in Ontario classrooms. The review includes best practices for protecting student privacy and ensuring compliance with Ontario privacy laws. When signing ...

The summer of 2017 went by fast at the IPC! As we were busy conducting our normal activities, we were also preparing guidance for health care providers on the important amendments to Ontario’s health privacy law. Some of the amendments to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) w...

Poor records and information management (RIM) practices can have a number of negative impacts on an institution and its staff. This can include affecting the quality of responses to freedom of information (FOI) requests, hindering transparency and accountability, and jeopardizing privacy of perso...

Just about everyone is asked at one time or another to provide photo identification. Being asked for your health card for identification purposes has raised a few questions about when it is acceptable to ask for or show a health card for this purpose. This is especially true for individuals whose...