Commissioner’s Blog

On January 1, 2020, Part X of the Child, Youth, and Family Services Act comes into force, creating a new access and privacy framework for Ontario’s child and family services sector. The Information and Privacy Commissioner will oversee these new rules for the collection, use and disclosure of...

Despite the existence of access and privacy laws for the last three decades, some public institutions still occasionally lose sight of their purpose, which is to promote transparent and accountable government. A recent order by my office illustrates the high bar the law sets to justify denying an...

Open Letter from Commissioner Brian Beamish re: Sidewalk Labs’ Proposal

Last week, my office issued a health privacy decision after investigating a complaint about a Toronto cosmetic surgery clinic use of video surveillance cameras in its examination and other rooms. I was alerted to this possible violation of Ontario’s health privacy law by a reporter for CBC Mark...

The Toronto Police Service received a freedom of information request from a woman who wanted photographs of her deceased son. The police decided to grant partial access, making an exception to the personal privacy exemption on compassionate grounds but removing the image of another person in the ...

News stories and alerts about data breaches are popping up on our news feeds and social media channels with increased regularity. To help Ontario’s public sector organizations manage and prevent privacy breaches, the IPC has updated its guidance. A privacy breach occurs when personal informatio...

We’re heading to Sudbury for the next Reaching Out to Ontario event I’m pleased to announce that the IPC executive team will visit Sudbury on Friday, October 11, to host our 11th Reaching Out to Ontario event, at Collège Boréal. I look forward to visiting “Nickel City” and to updating O...

With the new school year on the horizon, the IPC is educating the educators about their obligations when handling students’ confidential information. School boards, educators, and administrators in Ontario’s public and separate school system are responsible for making sure their students’ p...

Ontario’s freedom of information law is based on the principle that every individual has a right to access government information. This right exists to ensure the public has the information it needs to participate meaningfully in the democratic process, and that politicians and bureaucrats rema...

Will my youth criminal record show up on my police record check now that I’m an adult? Can a prospective employer request a police record check on me without my knowledge? How will I know if an institution has disclosed my personal information to a law enforcement agency?  These are some of th...