What’s New

In this letter to Brian Riddell, Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Policy, the IPC makes recommendations in relation to proposed amendments to the Connecting Care Act, 2019.

[TORONTO, CANADA] — NOVEMBER 3, 2023 – The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario announced today that its podcast, Info Matters, has been nominated at the 6th Annual CANADIAN PODCAST AWARDS for outstanding technology series. These distinguished accolades celebrate excellence in podcasting, recognizing the exceptional contributions of Canadian podcasters, editors, and producers.

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) joined data protection and privacy authorities from around the world at the 45th Global Privacy Assembly (GPA) to raise awareness of the need for core data protection and privacy principles to govern the development, operation, and deployment of existing and emergent AI systems.

It takes years to build trust in an organization, yet only seconds to bring it all crashing down. Cyber criminals are constantly finding new ways to steal sensitive data and make money from it.  Jason Besner, Director of Partnerships at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, sheds light on the fast-changing digital landscape and provides practical tips for organizations and individuals to protect themselves against cyberattacks.

Back to Part X of the CYFSA Guide for Service Providers

Media Literacy Week episode with Commissioner Kosseim and Matthew Johnson, Director of Education for Media Smarts.

Ontario schools have an essential role in preparing young people to be safe and responsible digital citizens and empowering them to exercise their privacy and access rights.

Guest blog by Commissioner Kosseim for MediaSmarts in recognition of Media Literacy Week

Letter to Ministry of Health on support for and approach to proposed administrative penalties under PHIPA, highlighting their importance in enforcing healthcare privacy and access rights.

TORONTO, ON, October 6, 2023 — Privacy authorities from across the country are calling on their respective governments to improve privacy legislation to protect young people and employees — groups that are significantly vulnerable, each in their own way, to the growing influence of digital technologies.

Today, Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial Information Commissioners and Ombuds signed a joint resolution aimed at reinforcing the public’s right to access government-held information.

In celebration of Right to Know Week 2023, the IPC is endorsing a statement highlighting the importance of access rights issued at the 14th edition of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC).

The IPC provided comments to the Ministry of the Solicitor General regarding the regulatory proposals under the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 (CSPA) following the ministry’s request for public input. In these comments, the IPC offers high-level comments on three proposals that relate to the IPC’s mandate.

Our office publishes Interpretation Bulletins to promote greater understanding of Ontario’s access and privacy laws, increase the transparency of our adjudication process, and help people involved in an appeal better understand what to expect.

Access to government-held information has long been recognized as a fundamental right. Unfortunately, for many women today, getting the information they need to receive benefits or services, help support their families, and engage in civic life remains a struggle. Laura Neuman, a senior advisor with the Carter Center, speaks about closing the gender divide and how access to information for women has the power to transform lives.

The IPC is revising its code of procedure for FIPPA and MFIPPA appeals.

For a topic that doesn’t often get as much media attention as its privacy counterpart, access to information has been making a lot more headlines this year. Many are urging the government to improve access to information legislation, and some are even taking it a step further — calling for a complete overhaul of the freedom of information (FOI) system.

Right to Know Week is celebrated across Canada each year to raise awareness of the importance of access rights and open, transparent government.

On September 11, 2023, the IPC provided a submission to the Ministry of the Solicitor General as part of the Five-Year Review of the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015. The submission includes eight recommendations on how the police record check regime can be improved to better balance the Ministry’s dual aims of protecting public safety, while also protecting Ontarians’ privacy and other fundamental human rights.

Host Stephen Hurley scans the education ecosystem, looking for the people and ideas that are starting to change the way we think about teaching, learning, schools and communities.

Document Updated: A change to PHIPA Practice Direction #3 took effect on October 10, 2023. Learn more

The IPC provided comments to the Ministry of the Solicitor General regarding the regulatory proposals under the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 (CSPA) following the ministry’s request for public input. In these comments, the IPC offers high-level comments on three proposals that relate to the IPC’s mandate.

Engaging with patients, families, and caregivers can help build a better, more inclusive health system. Betty-Lou Kristy, Chair of the Minister’s Patient and Family Advisory Council, speaks about her mission to improve patient care in Ontario by putting patients and families at the center of policy-making. Through their lived experiences in the health system, they work to break down barriers and help build Ontarians’ trust that their data privacy and access rights will be...

IPC response to Leader of the Official Opposition Marit Stiles’ concerns about government record keeping practices outlined in Greenbelt report

The IPC provided comments and recommendations to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services with respect to the summary of proposed regulatory changes to Ontario Regulation 155/18 and 156/18 posted on the Ontario Regulatory Registry on July 13, 2023. Within the submission, the IPC urges the Ministry to ensure that any amendments to expand collection, use or disclosure of sensitive personal information for the safety and well-being of children and youth are...

The digital landscape has become an inseparable part of children and youth’s lives, offering boundless opportunities for learning, connecting, and having fun. However, amid this abundance of technology, young people don’t always see the far-reaching implications of their online activities on their privacy, both present and future.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) has released four new classroom-ready lesson plans to help educators teach students in grades two through eight about privacy rights, digital literacy, and online safety, just in time for back-to-school.

Commissioner Kosseim sits down with Dr. Bartha Knoppers, Director of the Centre for Genomics and Policy at McGill University, to discuss the legal and ethical aspects of genetic research for the greater good.

The IPC provided comments and recommendations to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services as part of the 2023 5-Year Review of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017. The IPC’s comments and recommendations are consistent with previous submissions and focus on the goal of strengthening the access and privacy protections afforded to Ontarians under the CYFSA and its regulations.

Letter to the Ontario Ministry of Health describing the IPC’s support for both the maximum amounts for administrative penalties that the commissioner can order, as well as the criteria that the commissioner must consider when levying such penalties as part of order-making power under PHIPA.

Listen to Commissioners Kosseim and Dufresne speak candidly about some of the challenges and opportunities they face and potential areas for collaboration between their offices. Bilingual episode in English and French.

Guest blog by Teresa Scassa

TORONTO, ON (June 7, 2023) – Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, is calling on the Ontario government to put in place a robust framework to govern the public sector’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The recommendation is included in the 2022 annual report of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), released today.

In the IPC’s 2022 annual report, Commissioner Kosseim reveals her vision of the IPC as a modern and effective regulator dedicated to supporting compliance and promoting public trust in Ontario’s public institutions. The IPC’s work in 2022 resulted in noteworthy advancements for access and privacy rights in Ontario. This report provides an overview of the IPC’s activities and accomplishments in 2022, highlighting our commitment to protecting and promoting the privacy...

“Privacy and Humanity on the Brink – One Year Later”

TORONTO, May 25, 2023 – The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) recognize their complementary mandates to uphold the fundamental worth and dignity of Ontarians by promoting, protecting, and advancing their human rights, including their right to privacy. Accordingly, the IPC and the OHRC announce their collaboration to provide Ontarians with a better understanding of their privacy rights concerning...

This letter to Goldie Ghamari, Chair of the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, was intended to present the IPC’s privacy-related comments and recommended amendments to Schedule 2 of Bill 102, which, if passed, would expand the regulation-making authority under the Coroners Act, 1990.

This letter to Goldie Ghamari, Chair of the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, was intended to present the IPC’s privacy-related comments and recommendations on Schedule 1 of Bill 102, in relation to proposed amendments to the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 (CSPA). The legislative amendments support bringing the CSPA into force.

Last fall, my office issued a Transparency Challenge. We called on Ontario’s public institutions to share their best and brightest projects or programs that demonstrate a real commitment to government transparency and show how open data can have tangible benefits for the day to day lives of Ontarians. Lo and behold, public institutions rose to the challenge!

Misinformation has been called a defining issue of our time, eroding trust in academia, science, and other key pillars of our society. Commissioner Kosseim speaks with Dr. Alex Himelfarb of the Council of Canadian Academies about what we can do about it, and why access to trustworthy, evidence-based information matters more than ever.

TORONTO, ON (May 11, 2023) – Ontario’s public institutions have risen to the challenge, sharing their best and brightest projects to shine a light on the benefits of government transparency and open data.

The Transparency Showcase is here!

This letter to Ernie Hardeman, Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, recommends the Committee to withdraw Schedules 4, 6 and 7 from Bill 79 to give the Ministry additional time to clarify significant ambiguities and address our privacy-related comments in a more holistic manner.

Privacy Pursuit! activity booklet

Commissioner Patricia Kosseim appeared on “Leadership in the Digital Enterprise” on April 6, 2023. The title of this episode was “A conversation with Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Patricia Kosseim.”

This letter to Goldie Ghamari, Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Policy, was intended to present the IPC’s views on how amendments to Bill 60 can better enhance transparency and privacy protections of Ontarians’ information with respect to the Integrated Community Health Services Centres Act, 2023 proposed in Schedule 1, and on “As of Right” health care practitioners who may be permitted to practice in Ontario without first having to register with a provincial...

While it may sound like science fiction, it’s actually happening today. Law enforcement organizations are using data to predict criminal activity before it occurs. Though predictive policing could make crime reduction more efficient, it also raises real risks to privacy and other human rights. Dr. Christopher Parsons, former associate at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab and now Senior Technology Advisor at the IPC, talks about some of those risks and how they can...

Commissioner Kosseim’s keynote speech at the University of Toronto about how artificial intelligence and neural technology challenge our right to privacy and in some ways, our right to be human.

The IPC provided comments to the Ministry of the Solicitor General regarding the regulatory proposals under the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 (CSPA) following the ministry’s request for public input. In these comments, the IPC offers high-level comments on four proposals that relate to the IPC’s mandate.

Commissioner Kosseim’s letter to Dr. Cameron, Office of the Chief Coroner, regarding the IPC’s implementation plans for jury recommendation #78 from Inquest File Q2022-10.

On the occasion of Data Privacy Day 2023, our office hosted an event on the theme of Building Trust in Digital Health Care.

Commissioner Kosseim urges the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to work together to strengthen statutory privacy protections for workers in Ontario.

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) has concluded its review of the high number of privacy breaches at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton due to misdirected faxes.

Resources mentioned in the videoResources from the event:

Every January 1, my family and I take turns going around the dinner table revealing our new year’s resolutions. Typically, these are well-intended aspirations to try and improve ourselves and the world around us in some small way. We write them out on a piece of paper and discuss how we will hold each other accountable for achieving them.

Covering my fridge at home are various photos of the kids when they were little, endless lists of things to do, upcoming appointments, random recipes, and important phone numbers. You’ll also find inspiring quotes I’ve cut and pasted over the years as reminders of the most important things in life despite the hustle and bustle of every day. Among these is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi who once said:

Health influences happiness and overall well-being, but not everyone has fair access to resources that support good health. Health disparities persist, influenced by sociodemographic factors such as age, education, gender, income, and race. What can be done to address health inequity without sacrificing personal privacy? In this episode, Commissioner Kosseim speaks with Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of the Wellesley Institute, about how anonymized data can be used to advance equity...

Strategic foresight is a discipline used by a growing body of experts and organizations. It is a structured and systematic way of gathering information about future operating environments to better prepare for change and make smarter decisions. In this episode, Commissioner Kosseim speaks with the IPC’s Eric Ward, Assistant Commissioner of Strategic Initiatives and External Relations, about how strategic foresight can be used to anticipate and address emerging data issues...

After careful deliberation, the IPC recently decided to launch its own Instagram account as a new way of connecting with Ontario’s children and youth to teach them about privacy risks and how to protect themselves online. Our creative comms team has already started posting quick tips about privacy and access, including new comic characters, infographics, and whiteboard videos that make learning fun and easy.

Artificial intelligence  and facial recognition technology were front and centre at the 44th Global Privacy Assembly (GPA).

We all have a role to play in supporting vulnerable children, youth, and families in our communities. Misunderstandings about privacy can sometimes make people hesitant to share information about potential abuse or neglect with a children’s aid society. On the flip side, overreporting can lead to unwarranted surveillance of vulnerable and marginalized families. In this episode, Commissioner Kosseim speaks with Nicole Bonnie, CEO of the Ontario Association of Children’s...

Proposals for digital identity are emerging in Canada and around the world. The goal is to make it easier for individuals, businesses, and governments to confirm identity information and carry out transactions online.

It takes years to build a reputation people can trust and seconds for a cyberattack to bring it all crashing down.

This fact sheet from the IPC discusses how ransomware has become an increasingly dangerous threat to the security of electronic records and provides guidance on how public institutions and healthcare organizations can protect themselves against it.

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In today’s connected world, children and youth are growing up online, spending more time in front of screens than any generation before them. This episode explores how young people are using digital technologies, what they think about privacy, and how parents, teachers, and regulators can help them develop the skills they need to be informed digital citizens. Commissioner Kosseim speaks with Keith Baybayon, the former president of the Ontario Student Trustees Association,...

TORONTO, ON (September 28, 2022) – Today, on International Right to Know Day, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) launched a Transparency Challenge, calling on public institutions to share their innovative projects or programs that improve government transparency for the benefit of Ontarians.

For Canadians, Right to Know Week is a time to reflect on our access rights and the importance of open, transparent government. This week, the IPC will spread the word about the public’s right to know by sharing resources about how individuals can exercise their access rights and how public institutions can make information more readily accessible.

TORONTO, ON, Sept. 21, 2022 – Protecting sensitive personal health information is critical to maintaining Canadians’ trust in the health system.

Guest blog by Teresa Scassa

Presentation by Senior Health Policy Advisor, Nicole Minutti, to the Canadian Mental Health Association on sharing personal health information within and among Ontario Health Teams.

If you’ve read the IPC’s 2021 Annual Report, you’ll know that my office has set its sights on a vision to enhance Ontarians’ trust that their access and privacy rights will be respected. This vision rests on three key pillars:

File and pay for your appeal online! The IPC offers a secure system for submitting appeals and paying appeal fees online from your desktop, smartphone or tablet.

Child welfare records can follow kids even after they’ve aged out of the system. That’s the reality former foster kids face as they begin their adult lives, shadowed by deeply personal histories recorded in files that are accessible to others. This can affect their job prospects, their chance of adopting, or be used as ammunition in child custody disputes. Jane Kovarikova, founder of the Child Welfare Political Action Committee, is helping former foster kids reclaim...

Certain events in life are of such seismic proportion that they remind us of our fragility not only as human beings, but as an entire human species. I first got that feeling in the chaotic aftermath of 9/11 when I feared possible nuclear retaliation might put an end to us all. I felt it again when the UN Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned of the narrowest margin of time remaining if we hope to save our planet from destruction. And I felt it more...

Today, the IPC supported a declaration of the members of the International Conference of Information Commissioners at the 13th Annual Conference:

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One of the most profound and lasting effects of the pandemic has been the accelerated digitization of our lives as part of our new normal. In the IPC’s annual report I look back over my office’s activities throughout 2021 and reflect on how this work has positioned us to serve Ontarians differently as we shift to a digital society.

TORONTO, ON (June 14, 2022) – In the IPC’s 2021 annual report, released today, Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, renewed her call for a provincial private sector privacy law and updates to the province’s existing privacy and access regime.

 

Presentation by Commissioner Kosseim to the Ontario Bar Association on the latest updates from the IPC on access and privacy issues.

Data is the engine of the modern economy, a key driver of innovation and growth. While the power of data is undeniable, questions emerge about the impact of digital transformation on our human rights, our collective well-being, and the state of our democracy. Commissioner Kosseim speaks with Jim Balsillie, retired co-CEO of Research In Motion (BlackBerry) and founder of the Centre for International Governance Innovation about the most pressing public policy issue of our...

Over a decade ago, at the 35th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (as it was then called), the community of international data protection regulators walked away with a key take-home message: “be selective to be effective.” If that old adage was applicable then, it has become even more so now in the midst of a global digital revolution where the broad array of data-related issues coming at us every day can feel dizzying and overwhelming...

Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court of Canada granting the Ontario government leave to appeal the decision that the government must disclose its mandate letters: