Privacy law

Canada has both provincial and federal privacy legislation.

Privacy law in Alberta

Alberta has privacy legislation that:

• Governs the collection, use and disclosure of personal information held by government agencies and private sector organizations
• Gives individuals the right to request access to information in the custody of government agencies and private sector organizations (different guidelines in each act)

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) oversees privacy legislation in Alberta. The OIPC provides information about four laws dealing with the protection of privacy:

• Access to Motor Vehicle Information Regulation (AMVIR) authorizes the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Services (the Registrar) to grant access to personal driving and motor vehicle information for the specific purposes.

• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP ACT) provides public bodies with guidelines for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

• Health Information Act (HIA) provides custodians (health providers and organizations) with guidelines for the collection, use and disclosure of health information.

• Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) provides private sector organizations with guidelines for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

Privacy law in Canada

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada oversees privacy legislation in Canada. There are two federal privacy laws in Canada:

• Privacy Act provides federal government agencies and departments with guidelines for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) regulates how the private sector organizes, collects, uses or discloses personal information. This act applies to all organizations involved in commercial activities unless provincial privacy legislation exists that is deemed substantially similar to PIPEDA.

Federal privacy commissioner resources

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has reports, guidelines, tools and other resources about privacy.

Private sector privacy resources

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has developed several guides about privacy responsibilities for private sector businesses.