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Posts Tagged ‘Alberta’

Slaw: Using employee (patient) health information in human resources investigation

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

The Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner recently confirmed that Alberta Health Services (AHS) breached the rights of one of its employees by intentionally using information from his addiction counselling against him during a human resources investigation. The breach of the employee’s personal health information clearly contravened the Health Information Act (HIA).

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Tags: addiction counselling, Alberta, Alberta Health Services, Data breach, Disability, disclosure of personal information, employment law, health information, human resources investigation, Information and Privacy Commissioner, personal health information, personal information
Posted in Human Resources, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Employer and insurer both breached privacy of employee

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta has determined that an employer violated the Personal Information Protection Act and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act when it disclosed more information than necessary to determine the employee’s eligibility for disability benefits, and that the group insurance provider used the information without consent.

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Tags: Alberta, Breach of privacy, collecting medical information, consent, Disability benefits, Disclosing medical information, eligibility for disability benefits, employment law, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, group insurance, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, oipc, personal information, Personal Information Protection Act, using medical information, workers’ compensation, workplace injury
Posted in Human Resources, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Strengthen personal data security; avoid the Sony experience

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Customers and employees entrust their personal information to businesses on a daily basis and expect that these businesses will treat that information with the care and respect it deserves by implementing the proper safeguards to keep it safe. However, just recently…

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Tags: Alberta, British Columbia, class action lawsuit, data breaches, employment law, identity theft, law, lawsuit, Notice, ontario, personal data security, personal information, PlayStation, PlayStation Network, privacy legislation, privacy safeguards, private-sector privacy laws, protect personal information, PSN, Qriocity, Securing Personal Information, Securing Personal Information: A Self-Assessment Tool for Organizations, serious breach of the electronic security, Sony, unauthorized access
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Alberta proposes Securities Act amendments

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Alberta might not be too keen on joining a national securities regulation scheme, but that doesn’t mean the province isn’t interested in strengthening its securities legislation and improving cooperation in the existing system. The government has proposed changes to the Alberta Securities Act that…

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Tags: Alberta, Alberta Securities Act, Alberta Securities Commission, national securities regulation, passport system, securities, Securities Amendment Act, securities regulator
Posted in Finance and Accounting, Internal Controls | Make a Comment »

Alberta proposes Securities Act amendments

Monday, April 18th, 2011

Alberta might not be too keen on joining a national securities regulation scheme, but that doesn’t mean the province isn’t interested in strengthening its securities legislation and improving cooperation in the existing system.

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Tags: Alberta, national securities regulation, passport system, securities, securities act, securities laws, securities regulator
Posted in Finance and Accounting, Internal Controls | Make a Comment »

Take access to information requests seriously

Friday, January 7th, 2011

I recently read a case coming out of the Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner dealing with an access to information request. Though this was a case dealing with a public body, the principle applies to any information request: there was simply no reason to deny the disclosure of information.

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Tags: access to information, Alberta, disclosure, employment law, FIPPA, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, information request, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, personal information, trade secrets
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Most organizations still don’t encrypt data when it leaves the office

Friday, December 17th, 2010

I recently read a news release by the Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner that indicated that there are still high incidences of laptops containing personal information being stolen—without having security measures such as encryption put in place. The commissioner was left scratching his head.

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Tags: Alberta, canadian employment law, employment law, encryption, Encryption technology, identity theft, laptops, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, personal information, private sector privacy legislation, protecting personal information, security measures, stolen laptops, technology
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Employer performed unauthorized credit checks on employees

Friday, December 10th, 2010

I recently read an investigation report from the Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, where an employer made a big mistake and ended up violating the privacy of at least 25 employees.

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Tags: Alberta, Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, canadian employment law, credit check, credit report, credit reporting, Employee privacy, employment law, Equifax Canada, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, investigation, Privacy Commissioner, privacy policy, procedures, unauthorized collection, unauthorized credit checks on employees, unauthorized use, violating the privacy of employees, violation of privacy
Posted in Human Resources, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program suspends two immigration streams

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

On August 23, 2010, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (“AINP”) announced that, in response to current job market conditions, it is no longer accepting applications for two immigration streams: (1) the family stream, and (2) the U.S. visa holder stream.

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Tags: Alberta, Employer-Driven Stream, employment, Family Stream, Immigrant Nominee Program, Skilled Workers, U.S. Visa Holder Category
Posted in Corporate Immigration, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Draft of new national securities act introduced

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Earlier this year, we reported that Alberta and Quebec were preparing constitutional “references” to be heard by their respective provincial Courts of Appeal to defend their rights to maintain their own provincial securities regulators. At the same time, the federal government announced its intention to take its case for a national regulator to the Supreme Court…

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Tags: Alberta, federal Securities Act, national regulator, national securities act, Quebec, securities, securities act, securities regulator
Posted in Finance and Accounting, Internal Controls | 1 Comment »

Alberta tries again to ban the use of cellphones while driving

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

The reliance on cellphones has led to an increase in talking on a cellphone while driving. Statistics show that driving while talking or texting on a cellphone is leading to driver distractions that cause car accidents. That’s why, on April 14, 2010, the Alberta government introduced…

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Tags: 2010, Alberta, ban on cellphone use, Bill 16, cellphone use, Employer liability, the Traffic Safety (Distracted Driving) Amendment Act, Traffic Safety Act, vicarious liability
Posted in Employment Standards, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Background checks: Of job applications and credit checks

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Starting in 2006, Mark’s Work Wearhouse in Alberta was running background credit checks on employees looking for work at the clothing store. Not criminal record checks; not general reference checks; credit checks.

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Tags: Alberta, background checks, credit checks, discrimination, employment reference, personal information, PIPA, privacy, privacy legislation, private sector privacy legislation, reference checking
Posted in Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring | 4 Comments »

The importance of notice and manner of dismissal

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

I recently read an Alberta case where a financial consultant, a top performer, was terminated without notice. The court found he was wrongfully dismissed and terminated in an insensitive manner; this error in judgment cost the employer $2.2 million in damages.

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Tags: Alberta, Alberta employment standards act, canadian employment law, common law notice, employment standards act, manner of dismissal, reasonable notice, respectful termination, sensitive termination, severance, statutory notice, termination notice, termination without cause, wrongful dismissal
Posted in Employment Standards, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Jail for lying in a civil action?

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Clearly, if a court finds that one party has been dishonest, it will have serious negative repercussions with respect to their chances of success. It can also result in a cost award against them. The question for today, however, is whether it is appropriate to also find parties who lie during the litigation process in contempt, and if so, what the appropriate penalty should be.

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Tags: Alberta, Alberta employment standards act, breach of confidential information, canadian employment law, civil action, competing with former employer, contempt, Dismissal, employment law, employment related dispute, HR issues, Human Resources, Labour Law, litigation, non compete, ontario employment standards act, resignation, restrictive covenant
Posted in Employment Standards, Human Resources | 1 Comment »

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