Commissioner’s Blog

From the early months of the pandemic, it became increasingly apparent that using personal health information (PHI) for critical health care, research, and public health purposes, would play a crucial role in helping us understand and control the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The importance o...

With the rapid adoption of technology and digitization of health services, protecting patient privacy is more vital than ever to maintain Ontarians’ confidence in their health care system. This is why the IPC selected Trust in Digital Health as one of the key strategic priorities to guide our w...

So much has changed since the mid-2000s when the idea of police wearing body-worn cameras (BWCs) was first contemplated. At that time, there was widespread public outcry, fueled by fears that we were marching ever closer to the fictional surveillance state of George Orwell’s 1984. In recent yea...

Today I was honoured to table my first annual report in the Ontario Legislature. It contains an overview of the significant developments that shaped our efforts in 2020, along with notable activities and initiatives that marked an unprecedented year. If anything, the uncertainty of the past year...

What was once science fiction of the past is now the science reality of today. Once a fanciful idea, facial recognition technologies have arrived, and their use, particularly by law enforcement agencies, raises serious concerns about personal privacy, not to mention other fundamental human rights...

“There is nothing permanent except change.” – Heraclitus These famous words of the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, have never rung truer than they do today. As with everything else in life, the delivery of health care continues to change and evolve, especially over the last two decades,...

When I started my five-year mandate as commissioner, I committed to working on access and privacy issues that matter most to Ontarians and on which the IPC can have most positive and significant impact. As part of this commitment, we embarked on a strategic planning exercise to identify the prior...

Hard to believe a full year has passed since we closed our office doors and began working from home. The significant adjustments made by my team, the high pace of change they have to contend with, and their unwavering commitment to continue serving the people of Ontario, regardless of the circums...

We’re back with another episode of Info Matters, en Français! Our most recent episode, recorded in French, is a celebration of the Francophone language and culture in the lead up to International Francophonie Day on March 20. Ontario has the largest French-speaking minority community in Canada...

In case you haven’t heard, the IPC has launched a new podcast! It’s called Info Matters, and it’s about people, privacy, and access to information. Through this new communication channel, I’ll be talking with people from all walks of life, hearing interesting stories, providing concrete f...