Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) releases 2021-2025 strategic priorities Français

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Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario

Apr 22, 2021, 11:00 ET

TORONTO, April 22, 2021 /CNW/ - The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) has selected the strategic priorities that will guide its efforts now and into the future.

The selected priorities focus on promoting and protecting Ontarians' access and privacy rights in an increasingly data-driven world as organizations accelerate their use of new digital tools and artificial intelligence technologies. 

These strategic priorities and related goals will assist the IPC in directing its energies and allocating its resources in key areas where it is likely to have most significant and positive impact for the benefit of Ontarians.

The IPC's strategic priorities and related goals are:

Privacy and Transparency in a Modern Government:

Advance Ontarians' privacy and access rights by working with public institutions to develop bedrock principles and comprehensive governance frameworks for the responsible and accountable deployment of digital technologies.


Children and Youth in a Digital World:

Champion the access and privacy rights of Ontario's children and youth by promoting their digital literacy and the expansion of their digital rights while holding public institutions accountable for protecting the children and youth they serve.


Next-Generation Law Enforcement: 

Contribute to building public trust in law enforcement by working with relevant partners to develop the necessary guardrails for the adoption of new technologies that protect both public safety and Ontarians' access and privacy rights.


Trust in Digital Health:

Promote confidence in the digital health care system by guiding custodians to respect the privacy and access rights of Ontarians, and supporting the pioneering use of personal health information for research and analytics to the extent it serves the public good.

"These strategic priorities and related goals will help us enhance our effectiveness and provide greatest value to the people of Ontario. They represent a bold and exciting vision which we look forward to implementing in collaboration with many others as we move from strategic priorities to strategic outcomes," said Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. "I want to thank the engaged citizens, stakeholders, and members of our strategic advisory committee, who participated in our public consultation process, providing very thoughtful and insightful feedback on the development of these priorities."

As next steps, the IPC will consult with relevant stakeholders in developing short and long-term action plans to advance each strategic priority, along with key performance indicators to track and monitor success towards achieving its goals.

The IPC has already begun advancing these strategic priorities with its recently issued guidance on privacy and security considerations in virtual healthcare visits and its soon-to-be released model governance framework for the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement.

Recent IPC activities in the priority areas

Additional resources

Backgrounder

Public consultation on 2021-2025 strategic priorities

In December 2020, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) launched a public consultation to seek input from Ontarians on the selection of its strategic priorities. To fuel the discussion, the IPC released a consultation paper setting out six potential strategic priorities, related goals and cross-cutting approaches to help guide their achievement. 

The proposed strategic priorities were developed through the office's daily scan of emerging issues and concerns voiced by stakeholders, media, and the public, and refined through internal consultations with IPC staff. They were further informed by in-depth research on access and privacy trends emerging across Canada and around the world.

The IPC's external ad hoc strategic advisory committee, an independent group of 18 privacy and access experts from various sectors, provided extensive feedback and guidance on the development of the priorities.

The IPC received nearly 60 submissions from a wide range of stakeholders during the public consultation, which closed on January 22, 2021. These included advocacy groups, children's aid societies, Crown corporations, health institutions, individuals, law enforcement agencies, municipalities, private sector organizations, provincial institutions, researchers, think tanks, and universities.

The strategic priorities ultimately selected will focus on promoting and protecting Ontarians' access and privacy rights in an increasingly data-driven world as organizations accelerate their use of new digital tools and artificial technologies.

Many stakeholders expressed a willingness to work with the IPC in advancing these strategic priorities and related goals, offering their assistance and first-hand expertise in the development of practical frameworks, guidance, and resources.

A Description of the Process

Backgrounder

Promoting and protecting the access and privacy rights of Ontarians

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) was established in 1987 and provides oversight of Ontario's access and privacy laws. 

These laws play a significant role in providing the public with a right of access to government-held information and to their own personal information. They also include rules to protect personal information held by public institutions, health care professionals, and child and family service providers.

The IPC is the oversight body that administers and enforces these laws. It investigates privacy complaints and hears appeals of access to information decisions, the large majority of which are resolved through mediation. The IPC proactively promotes the purposes of these laws by engaging in public education programs, commissioning research and providing advice.

Access and correction rights

Under Ontario's access and privacy laws, people have the right to request access to their personal information and general records held by provincial and municipal government institutions. They can also request access to their personal information from health care professionals, children's aid societies, and other child and family service providers. Individuals also have the right to ask for corrections to their personal information if they believe it is incorrect or incomplete.

In most cases, an organization must respond to requests within 30 calendar days. If an institution denies access or corrections to records, they must provide a reason. If individuals are not satisfied with the reason given or the fee charged to process a request, they can file an appeal with our office.

Privacy rights

Under Ontario's access and privacy laws, public institutions, heath care providers, and child and family service providers are required to protect personal information and only collect what is necessary for legitimate and limited purposes. Some of these laws also require them to let people know how their personal information will be used, how they might share it, and inform individuals if their information has been lost, stolen, shared or viewed without authorization.

The IPC works to resolve privacy complaints and may investigate privacy breaches. Individuals who suspect their personal information has been the subject of a privacy breach or mismanaged can file a privacy complaint with our office.

More in-depth information on access and privacy rights and protecting personal information is available at www.ipc.on.ca.

Key resources

SOURCE Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario

[email protected], 416-326-3965

Related Links

www.ipc.on.ca

Organization Profile

Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario provides oversight of Ontario’s access and privacy laws....