What’s New

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

Professor Teresa Scassa is the IPC’s first-ever Scholar-in-Residence. She is also Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law and an internationally-renowned expert in privacy, open data and data governance.

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.

In her 2021 annual report, Commissioner Kosseim reflects on the IPC’s activities of the past year and how this work has positioned us to serve Ontarians as we shift to an increasingly digital society. In 2021, great strides were made in achieving our goals in four key strategic areas, Privacy and Transparency in a Modern Government, Trust in Digital Health, Children and Youth in a Digital World, and Next-Generation Law Enforcement.

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:

Every once in a while, there are privacy investigation decisions that stand out because of their precedent setting nature.

IPC Letter accompanying the Review of the Ministry of Health’s Inter-ministerial Data Integration Unit (2022)

In recent years a global movement has taken shape, calling for greater scrutiny of interactions between citizens and police. Cameras worn by police officers have emerged as a tool to support greater transparency and accountability, documenting what an officer sees and hears on the job. What are their benefits and risks? How do they impact police-community relations?  And what kinds of questions should citizens be asking about these cameras? In this episode, Commissioner...

Patricia Kosseim addresses House of Commons committee, emphasizing the need for safeguards, accountability, and transparency

Comments from Commissioner Kosseim to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics on the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement.

Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, will appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) to participate in its study into the use and impact of facial recognition technology.

As Schedule 4 of Bill 106, the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022 (Schedule 4) would amend the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) by introducing new regulation-making powers, the IPC submitted recommendations to  Ernie Hardeman Chair of the Committee Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs to address each of these proposed regulatory powers.

Presentation by Director of Adjudication, Gillian Shaw, to Council of Ontario Universities FIPPA Network on the latest news and updates from the tribunal department.

For many of us, the pandemic has changed how we work, blurring the line that used to exist between home and office.

Commissioner Kosseim’s speech to the to the Standing Committee on Social Policy of the Legislative Assembly Re: Schedule 2 of Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022.

This letter to Natalia Kusendova, Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Policy was intended to present the IPC’s views on Schedule 2 of Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act, 2022 on how amendments to Bill 88 can better support its policy objective of enhancing transparency and protecting workers’ privacy.

This letter to Dr. Catherine Zahn, Deputy Minister of Health and Ms. Hillary Hartley, Chief Digital and Data Officer offered the IPC’s recommendations to help ensure ongoing protection of the privacy rights of Ontarians as the proof of vaccination certificate initiative continued in the province.

Listen to the interview here.

Data protection authorities around the world recognize Data Privacy Day every January 28 as a way of raising public awareness about the importance of privacy and data protection rights. In case you missed it, this past Friday the IPC continued its tradition of hosting an annual Privacy Day event, engaging with experts, stakeholders, and the public on important privacy issues of the day through constructive dialogue.

Watch the 2022 Privacy Day webcast, Empowering a New Generation of Digital Citizens, to learn how we can best champion the privacy and access rights of Ontario’s children and youth. Key issues discussed include privacy education and digital literacy, empowering children to think critically about their data, and the role of regulation in protecting children and youth in the online world.

How many of us have accidentally pressed “send” on an email to the wrong person?  It happened to me several years ago when my flight was cancelled and I sent a late-night email to my husband from the back of a very dark cab, letting him know I was on my way home from the airport. I signed, “Love you” at the end with x’s and o’s as I typically do, only to find out I had sent it to the wrong Ken! I was mortified of course, and the VP of a large company at the time...

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) has concluded its review of a privacy breach that occurred almost a year ago in Durham Region. The breach was traced to the region’s use of Accellion File Transfer Appliance (FTA) software, a product that has been linked to breaches in organizations around the world as part of a massive spree of cyberattacks.

Throughout the past year, we continued to be tested in our ability to develop and persevere in the face of change and uncertainty, inflicted by a brutal and unrelenting pandemic.

The IPC shared its recommendations with Dr. Dubi Kanengisser, Senior Advisor, Strategic Analysis and Governance, Toronto Police Services Board on the Board’s draft Use of New Artificial Intelligence Technologies Policy. These recommendations were intended to strengthen the Policy and help the Board use AI in a manner that protects privacy, freedom of information, and other fundamental rights.

Notice to the public

The health care landscape shifted dramatically in March 2020 with the onset of the pandemic. A recent study estimates that outpatient virtual care visits in Ontario increased by nearly 70 per cent from pre-pandemic levels.

While the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down almost every aspect of our society and has grounded to a near-halt many sectors of our economy, cybercriminals remained busier than ever and show no signs of abating.

Info Matters is a podcast about people, privacy, and access to information hosted by Patricia Kosseim,

October is Child Abuse Prevention Month in Ontario, and on Tuesday, October 27, I will be wearing purple to show my support for Dress Purple Day. This day raises awareness of the vital role that individuals and communities play in supporting vulnerable children, youth, and families.  Protecting the safety and well-being of vulnerable children and youth also includes protecting their privacy and empowering them with access to their own personal information.

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