Provincial Privacy Laws
In the provinces, freedom of information laws speak to the privacy obligations of provincial governments. There are also private sector and health information-specific privacy laws in some provinces.
Private Sector
The following provincial private sector privacy laws have been deemed to be substantially similar to PIPEDA, and therefore apply to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information within these provinces:
- The Quebec Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector
- The B.C. Personal Information Protection Act
- The Alberta Personal Information Protection Act and the Personal Information Protection Amendment Act which came into force in May of 2010.
Health Sector
The following health privacy laws apply within the provinces to specific entities such as health care practitioners and hospitals:
- Alberta Health Information Act
- Saskatchewan Health Information Protection Act
- Manitoba Personal Health Information Act
- Ontario Personal Health Information Protection Act
- New Brunswick Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act
- Newfoundland & Labrador Personal Health Information Act
Public Sector
The primary purpose freedom of information and protection of privacy laws in the provinces is to provide a right of access to information under the control of institutions, under the premise of open government.
These laws also set out the obligations on government bodies to protect the personal information of individuals that is held by the government and the right of citizens to access such information about themselves.
Nova Scotia has also enacted An Act to Protection the Personal Information of Nova Scotians from Disclosure Outside Canada which was specifically designed to protect Nova Scotia’s citizens from having their personal information accessed by foreign governments.