Information and Privacy Commissioner
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Information and Privacy Commissioner
Administrative Officer
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J. Angus MacLean Building 180 Richmond Street P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K7 Tel: (902) 368-4099 |
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DID YOU KNOW THAT ...
May 5-11, 2013, marks Emergency Preparedness Week and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, along with the provincial and territorial privacy oversight offices, is encouraging organizations to be prepared to address privacy issues during a time of crisis. The federal office has released its newly developed Privacy Emergency Kit for public and private sector organizations. The guidance provided in the kit will help organizations enhance the timeliness and content of communications during an emergency, while giving people confidence that their personal information will be handled appropriately.
Announcement: New Privacy Emergency Kit
Provincially, sections 15, 30 and 37 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the "FOIPP Act") may apply in an emergency situation, as they specifically describe limited instances where the disclosure of personal information without consent is authorized. For more information, our "Frequently Asked Questions" link now includes a section on appropriately handling personal information in an emergency.
Appropriate Handling of Personal Information in an Emergency
Section 64.1 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act authorizes the Commissioner to refuse to conduct an inquiry if, in her opinion, the subject matter of the request for review has been dealt with in a previous order or investigation report, or if circumstances warrant refusing to conduct an inquiry. The Commissioner recently issued two refusals to conduct an inquiry into two separate decisions of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, having found that the legal test for a subsection 14(1) exception to disclosure under the FOIPP Act has been dealt with in previous orders and that the circumstances warrant refusing to conduct an inquiry in both instances.
Decision No. RI-13-001, Refusal to Conduct an Inquiry
Decision No. RI-13-002, Refusal to Conduct an Inquiry
Information and Privacy Commissioner: Maria C. MacDonald
The Role of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
News Releases and Communications
Access and Privacy Services is a section of the Community Safety and Justice Policy Division of the Department of Environment, Justice and Labour. It provides government-wide policy advice and support regarding the operation of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act ("FOIPP Act") and regulations, policies and procedures, and it assists the FOIPP coordinators of each public body with training and advice.
For assistance with the FOIPP Act and with requesting access to information from the provincial government, you may contact the Provincial Manager or the appropriate designated FOIPP Coordinator:
Kathryn Dickson, Provincial Manager
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPP) Coordinators
