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Make a Privacy Complaint
If you believe that your personal information or your personal health information is not being properly collected, used, disclosed, or protected by a public body or custodian, you can ask the Commissioner to review your complaint.
Is there a fee to make a privacy complaint?
There is no fee for making a privacy complaint to the Commissioner's office.
Is there a time limit to make a privacy complaint?
Yes. Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the FOIPP Act) and the Health Information Act, (the HIA) a Complainant has 60 days to request a review by the Commissioner. However, under both the FOIPP Act and HIA, a longer period maybe be allowed by the Commissioner. The parts of the acts that give the Commissioner authority to extend the 60-day time limit are clause 61(2)(a)(ii) of the FOIPP Act and clause 58(3)(b) of the HIA. If you need more than 60 days, please explain your reasons to the Commissioner.
How do I make a privacy complaint?
You can make a privacy complaint by filling out the Request for Review/Complaint Online Form, or by filling out Request for Review/Complaint Form (PDF) and sending it to the Information and Privacy Commissioner's Office, or by sending the Commissioner a letter.
Include the details of your concern, the name of the public body or custodian, and as many other details as possible to give the Commissioner as complete a picture of the situation as you can.
What happens when the Commissioner receives my complaint?
During the Commissioner's initial examination of the complaint, they may ask you and/or the public body or custodian for additional information. The Commissioner may try to resolve the complaint by contacting both you and the public body or custodian separately to discuss your concerns.
If the Commissioner is persuaded that the collection, use or disclosure of information is authorized under the law, the Commissioner will explain this to you and may decide not to proceed with a formal inquiry.
What kind of decisions can the Commissioner make?
During the Commissioner's initial examination of the complaint, they may ask you and/or the public body or custodian for additional information. The Commissioner may try to resolve the complaint by contacting both you and the public body or custodian separately to discuss your concerns.
If the Commissioner is persuaded that the collection, use or disclosure of information is authorized under the law, the Commissioner will explain this to you and may decide not to proceed with a formal inquiry.
Are there exceptions to my privacy rights?
There are specific circumstances in which a public body or custodian has the authority to release your information to others, for example to comply with another law or a court issued subpoena, or to process a payment owed to the individual, or collect a debt owed to the public body or custodian.
Is there compensation for a violation of my privacy rights?
Neither the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (PDF) nor the Health Information Act (PDF) permits the Commissioner to award any compensation for a violation of privacy.