May 11 2017
Ontarians’ right of access to information held by their government forms an essential cornerstone of both the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and its municipal counterpart, MFIPPA. These laws require institutions to conduct a reasonable search for responsive records...
Apr 11 2017
Commissioner Brian Beamish appeared before the Standing Committee on Social Policy today to provide the IPC’s views on Bill 68, Modernizing Ontario’s Municipal Legislation Act, 2017.
Bill 68 proposes to expand the open meeting exceptions of the Municipal Act and City of Toronto Act, which...
Apr 11 2017
What is a Reasonable Search for Records?
Ontario institutions are required to conduct a reasonable search for records when they receive an access to information request. To answer some frequently asked questions about reasonable searches, we have developed a new fact sheet that explains:
what a ...
Mar 30 2017
Commissioner Brian Beamish appeared before the Standing Committee on Justice Policy today to provide the IPC’s views on Bill 89, Supporting Children, Youth and Families Act, 2017.
While the IPC appreciates the Ministry of Children and Youth Services introducing legislation with a goal of enhanc...
Mar 24 2017
The IPC is excited to announce the launch of a biweekly blog about what is trending on our public inquiries line. We hope this blog series will raise awareness and answer some of your questions about rights and obligations under Ontario’s access and privacy laws.
Your doctor is retiring? What y...
Mar 23 2017
Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Brian Beamish, provided his comments this afternoon to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on Bill 84, the Medical Assistance in Dying Statute Law Amendment Act, 2017.
The submission focuses on a single aspect of Bill 84. The bi...
Mar 20 2017
Every month, the IPC makes decisions on access to information appeals and privacy complaints. Here is a sampling of four recent decisions:
PO-3686 (University of Ottawa) – The university decided that a former employee’s request for a psychiatrist’s report about him was excluded from the sco...
Mar 15 2017
The IPC strongly supports Open Government initiatives and encourages Ontario institutions to be more open and transparent, and to enhance their engagement with the public. Without appropriate measures, however, institutions could face the following risks:
personal information may be published wi...
Mar 13 2017
The Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) will be hosting a special event in Thunder Bay on Wednesday, May 3, 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 an...
Mar 01 2017
The IPC has published a new Code of Procedure for Matters under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. This code comes into force on March 15, 2017, and will apply immediately to all IPC files under PHIPA. This code replaces the IPC’s “Code of Procedure for Access and Correctio...