Privacy in Canada is protected by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Department of Justice. Provinces that have essentially similar legislation are exempt from the federal legislation, as employers in those provinces are covered by their provincial legislation. At the time of this writing, Ontario does not have similar legislation.
The Act applies to “every organization in respect of personal information that the organization collects, uses or discloses in the course of commercial activities” or “is about an employee of the organization and that the organization collects, uses or discloses in connection with the operation of a federal work, undertaking or business.”
At the time of this writing, PIPEDA only applies to personal information of employees of federal works, undertakings or businesses, and only Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec have similar legislation. The name, title, business address, and business telephone number of an employee are not protected under PIPEDA.
USEFUL LINKS:
Department of Justice: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/
PIPEDA: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-8.6/
PHIPA:
PHIPA stands for Personal Health Information Protection Act and is an Ontario legislation dealing with the collection and disclosure of personal health information of individuals. While the legislation is intended for health providers and record-keepers, it should be kept in mind when maintaining any employee health information.
USEFUL LINKS:
PHIPA: http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_04p03_e.htm
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