Date: Jul 01 2005   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jul 01 2005   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jan 01 2005   Type: Resource   Access: Both

The brochure explains the IPC’s outreach program to schools in Ontario, specifically for grade 5

Date: Jan 01 1999   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This guide focuses on introducing students to the importance of the public values of access to government-held information and personal privacy.

Date: Sep 01 2005   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Other Resources: Grade 10 Fact Sheet What Students Need to Know – Grade 11 & 12 Teacher’s Guide

Date: Dec 06 2010   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Program focuses on introducing students to the importance of the public values of access to government-held information and personal privacy. Expanded program for Grade 11/12.  

Date: Sep 01 2004   Type: Resource   Access: Both

A form to be signed by a complainant who is represented by someone other than a lawyer.

Date: Jul 11 2005   Type: Resource   Access: Public

A form to be signed by a complainant who is represented by someone other than a lawyer in a privacy complaint.

Date: Dec 30 2002   Type: Resource   Access: Both

A form for filing a privacy complaint under the provincial or municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, if you feel your personal information has been improperly collected, used or disclosed by a government organization

Date: Dec 31 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

A form to be used where a researcher has requested access to records that contain personal information and are in the custody or under the control of an institution subject to the municipal Act.

Date: Sep 12 2002   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

A form to be used where a researcher has requested access to records that contain personal information and are in the custody or under the control of an institution subject to the provincial Act. (PDF format)

Date: Sep 12 2002   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

This joint paper produced by IPC Ontario and Deloitte & Touche provides hands-on advice for developing strategies for information security and privacy protection.

Date: Aug 01 2003   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

A quick overview of the key points of the municipal Act. [Revised July 2014]

Date: Jun 01 1998   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This brochure provides information about collection, use, disclosure and other complaints under PHIPA.

Date: Dec 01 2004   Type: Resource   Access: Both

A quick overview of the key points of the provincial Act. [Revised July 2014]

Date: Mar 01 2000   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Our frequently asked questions on health cards and health numbers clarify who may collect, use or disclose health numbers for health care purposes, as well as the use of health cards as a proof of identity. Originally published November 2004.

Date: Oct 01 2021   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This revised FAQ has a new look and feel and has been rewritten with cleaner, easy to understand, gender-neutral language. Also included are a few additions to the original publication: Questions on assumed implied consent and consent from children under 16. Questions regarding the relationship ...

Date: Nov 02 2015   Type: Resource   Access: Both

The PDT is an instrument that uses a series of questions to give businesses a ‘read’ on how well they manage their customers’ personal information. The PDT uses internationally recognized fair information practices as its basis.

Date: Aug 01 2001   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Provides a template designed for insertion into contracts drawn up when a government function is transferred over to the private sector. The model contract will provide assurances to the public that their personal information will be kept secure and their right to privacy preserved when governmen...

Date: Aug 01 1997   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Examines the potential impact of PKI on the protection of personal privacy and makes recommendations for officials establishing such systems.

Date: Dec 01 2002   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Tip sheet for government organizations on handling personal information with regards to social insurance numbers.

Date: Sep 01 1998   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Tip sheet for government institutions on information management.

Date: Sep 24 2003   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Tip sheet for government organizations on handling information

Date: Sep 24 2003   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Tip sheet for government institutions on information management.

Date: Sep 01 1998   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Tip sheet for government institutions on handling personal information. Revised July, 2009.

Date: Sep 01 1998   Type: Resource   Access: Both

A joint project of the Town of Newmarket and the IPC

Date: Jun 01 2003   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Date: Nov 01 2001   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

This guide is a tool to help health information custodians understand their rights and obligations under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, (PHIPA).

Date: Dec 01 2004   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Each provincial and municipal government organization has a Co-ordinator. This Backgrounder looks at the critically important role that Co-ordinators play.

Date: Sep 01 1999   Type: Resource   Access: Both

An educative tool designed to help companies identify and implement appropriate practices for protecting the privacy of their online customers.

Date: Jun 01 2001   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Provides best practices and tips to assist government organizations in developing policies that address the privacy obligations of employees who are working in locations outside the traditional office setting.

Date: Jul 01 2001   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This updated paper sets out guidelines for government institutions to consider when developing systems and procedures to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of information transmitted by fax.

Date: Jan 01 2003   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Date: Dec 04 2005   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Feb 01 2006   Type: Resource   Access: Both

[Revised February 2019]

Date: Oct 01 2004   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Revised February 2012

Date: Apr 06 2006   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Oct 16 2005   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Updated: December 2006.

Date: Jun 01 2005   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

This document assists organizations in making key decisions about notifying individuals after a privacy breach occurs by presenting checklists covering factors affecting whether to notify, when and how to notify, what to include in a notification and other organizations that should be contacted. ...

Date: Dec 11 2006   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Fact Sheet about the use of wireless CCTV cameras.  

Date: Jun 07 2007   Type: Resource   Access: Both

A brochure outlining suggested best practices for securing mobile devices (PDAs, laptops, etc.) and protecting the information carried out of the workplace on them. Steps are organized into sections: Before you Walk out of the Workplace, While you are Out and When You have Completed Your Work. In...

Date: Jun 14 2007   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Commissioner Ann Cavoukian prepared these Guidelines to provide Ontario municipalities with a framework to meet the privacy requirements under MFIPPA.

Date: Sep 14 2007   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Social networking websites such as Facebook are now so popular that they are being used by employers to screen prospects. Information you post on your profile for the amusement of you and your friends may, therefore, be viewed in a different light. This short paper cautions users of these sites a...

Date: Oct 24 2007   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Nov 27 2007   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

RFID and Privacy: Guidance for Health-Care Providers. RFID technology can help save lives – and preserve privacy.

Date: Jan 23 2008   Type: Resource   Access: Both

In emergency situations, privacy laws in Ontario and British Columbia1 do not prohibit universities, colleges or other educational institutions from responsibly disclosing a student’s personal information, including information about their mental, emotional or other health conditions, to pare...

Date: Oct 30 2008   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

This paper is a chronicle describing the IPC’s work to enhance awareness about the privacy challenges youth face on the Internet.

Date: Mar 25 2009   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This discussion paper describes the IPC’s work in toward the implementation of an on/off device allowing holders of an Enhanced Drivers Licence (EDL) to prevent the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) from being read by unauthorized third parties and disengage the RFID when not required for b...

Date: Mar 19 2009   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Prepared for The Eighth Workshop on the Economics of Information Security University College, London, England June 24, 2009

Date: Dec 22 2009   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Health information custodians frequently rely on de-identification when using or disclosing health information – a measure that can protect individual privacy, but often at the expense of data quality (zero-sum paradigm). Dr. Khaled El Emam, a senior investigator at the Children’s Hospital of...

Date: Mar 30 2010   Type: Resource   Access: Both

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, in Order HO-004 and Order HO-007, required that health information be safeguarded at all times, specifically by ensuring that any personal health information stored on any mobile devices (e.g., laptops, memory sticks, PDAs) be strongly encry...

Date: Jul 16 2010   Type: Resource   Access: Both

The purpose of this Fact Sheet is to provide organizations that are defined as both health information custodians under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and institutions under public sector privacy and access to information legislation, namely the provincial Freedom of Infor...

Date: Apr 19 2011   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Other Resources: Grade 11/12 Fact Sheet What Students Need to Know – Grade 10 Teacher’s Guide

Date: Sep 27 2011   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This paper examines Near Field Communications (NFC) technologies and their growing deployment in mobile devices. Four consumer use cases illustrate NFC functionalities and benefits. Privacy and security risks are identified, and solutions are offered for NFC mobile device and application develope...

Date: Nov 28 2011   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

In Order HO-011, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) ordered Cancer Care Ontario to discontinue its practice of transferring records of personal health information relating to its colon cancer screening program in paper format, after several courier packages containing the p...

Date: Aug 01 2012   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Practical information about identity theft, how to avoid it, and what to do if you find you are a victim.

Date: Jul 17 2012   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) present unique challenges due to their ability to use a variety of sensors to gather information from unique vantage points – often for long periods and on a continuous basis. The prospect of having our every move monitored, and possibly recorded, raises profound ...

Date: Aug 16 2012   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Privacy policies and procedures alone, without a concrete strategy for implementation, will not protect an organization from privacy risks. The policies and procedures must be actively communicated, and staff must be educated about measures that need to be in place, so that policies will be refle...

Date: Sep 05 2012   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

There are many myths surrounding how information may be collected, used and disclosed under the Personal Health Information Protection Act. Working with our partners in the health care community, we have created this one-page document to dispel some of the more common myths.

Date: Sep 28 2012   Type: Resource   Access: Both

As a small business becomes more networked and data-intensive, personal information and customer trust are critical assets that must be protected. This paper was written to help small business avoid data breaches that are harmful to both brand reputation and costly. Privacy policies and procedure...

Date: Oct 22 2013   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Privacy and cybersecurity professionals, creators of digital property, and countless policy-makers have spent decades fighting to civilize the digital world, but they have lacked the most fundamental tool they need to succeed, namely — information systems engineering that enables true control o...

Date: May 08 2014   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Information is becoming far more valuable as businesses seek to learn more about their customers and those of their competitors, and as advertisers seek to gain a competitive advantage by finding new and innovative ways to use information to target advertisements that are most relevant to their c...

Date: Jun 25 2014   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

Unauthorized access continues to be a growing problem in the health sector in Ontario. The province’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, (PHIPA), permits health information custodians (HIC) to collect, use and disclose personal health information for the purposes of providing or assist...

Date: Jan 28 2015   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This guidance document aims to identify some of the privacy considerations law enforcement authorities should take into account when deciding whether to outfit law enforcement officers with body-worn cameras. Published by the federal Privacy Commissioner and privacy and personal information prote...

Date: Feb 18 2015   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Ontario public sector institutions must meet high standards of care and trust whenever collecting, using and disclosing personal and other sensitive information. Any public institution considering new information technologies, systems, and program services that may affect privacy are strongly en...

Date: May 19 2015   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Municipalities are turning to the Internet as a means of making information public in an effort to improve accessibility, transparency and accountability. This may include publishing records directly to their website or including records in searchable databases that can be accessed online. Publis...

Date: Aug 04 2015   Type: Resource   Access: Both

  As governments and public sector organizations strive to become more efficient, accountable and customer focused, they frequently seek input from the public about their programs and services. One of the most cost-effective ways to accomplish this is through surveys. While surveys can be an...

Date: Apr 07 2015   Type: Resource   Access: Both

  Many institutions turn to video surveillance to help them fulfil their obligations to protect the safety of individuals and the security of their equipment and property. Video footage captured by cameras is regularly used to assist in the investigation of wrongdoing. However, the use of th...

Date: Oct 06 2015   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Common misunderstandings about privacy are frequently cited as reasons for not sharing information with a children’s aid society (CAS) about a child who may be at risk. In fact, Ontario law permits professionals working with children to share this information. To help professionals understand t...

Date: Jan 20 2016   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Notice of public consultation: Code of procedure for FIPPA and MFIPPA appeals The IPC is revising its code of procedure for FIPPA and MFIPPA appeals. The purpose of these revisions is to update the current code of procedure to: reflect the IPC’s current and future operations for considering ap...

Date: Oct 14 2004   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This document was developed to help Ontario’s public institutions manage the use of instant messaging and personal email accounts when doing business. All public servants should be aware records relating to an institution’s business that are created, sent or received through instant messaging...

Date: Jun 07 2016   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Our office is sometimes required to decide access to information appeals relating to requests for records held by municipal councillors. Unfortunately, the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) does not expressly refer to records of municipal councillors. This fa...

Date: Apr 22 2016   Type: Resource   Access: Both

A brochure outlining suggested best practices for securing mobile devices (PDAs, laptops, etc.) and protecting the information carried out of the workplace on them. Steps are organized into sections: Before you Walk out of the Workplace, While you are Out and When You have Completed Your Work. In...

Date: Jun 14 2007   Type: Resource   Access: Professional

The IPC has prepared this new guidance document, Thinking About Clouds? Privacy, security and compliance considerations for Ontario public sector institutions, to help institutions evaluate whether cloud computing services are suitable for their information management needs. In particular, it see...

Date: Feb 20 2016   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Submission to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services on its Strategy for a Safer Ontario Brian Beamish Commissioner April 29, 2016

Date: Apr 29 2016   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Tip sheet for government insitutions on handling information.

Date: Aug 13 2003   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This guidance document outlines the key obligations of police under privacy legislation in their use of ALPR systems and provides guidance, including best practices, on using these systems in a privacy-protective manner.  It addresses the use of ALPR systems for public safety purposes, in parti...

Date: Jul 04 2017   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This fact sheet seeks to answer some of the common questions you may have about the freedom of information process. This document is part of a series designed to keep the public and professionals up to date with the IPC’s interpretations of access and privacy laws.

Date: Sep 26 2016   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This fact sheet explains the meaning of the term “personal information,” and answers frequently asked questions.

Date: Oct 20 2016   Type: Resource   Access: Both

This fact sheet highlights the important factors an institution must consider before implementing a video surveillance system.

Date: Nov 09 2016   Type: Resource   Access: Both

The emergence of big data as a tool to manage and analyze large and complex data sets offers great promise and opportunity, but also raises serious privacy challenges and considerations, especially to personal privacy. Public and health sector institutions increasingly use big data tools to impro...

Date: Jan 25 2017   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Dec 31 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Feb 28 2017   Type: Resource   Access: Both

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. This document offers guidance for institutions on how to move towards increased government transparency without negatively af...

Date: Mar 15 2017   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Sep 17 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Oct 24 2017   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Nov 08 2017   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Nov 10 2017   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jan 30 2018   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Apr 26 2018   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Apr 27 2018   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jun 18 2018   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jun 18 2018   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jun 18 2018   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jul 11 2018   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Nov 22 2018   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jan 10 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jan 10 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jan 10 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jan 10 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jan 10 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Apr 24 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Aug 12 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Sep 05 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Oct 03 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Privacy Complaint MC17-32 Halton Regional Police Services Board Issued October 25, 2019  

Date: Nov 22 2019   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jan 15 2020   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Apr 29 2020   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Jul 23 2020   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Feb 25 2021   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Date: Oct 16 2020   Type: Resource   Access: Both

Backgrounder: Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario’s comments on key areas for reform in a made-in-Ontario private sector privacy law

Date: Sep 07 2021   Type: Resource   Access: Both