Personal Information Protection Act

Joint investigation by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia – BC company failed to comply with privacy laws

December 2, 2019 Christina Catenacci Human Resources, Privacy and Security, Training and Development, 0

A recent report concluded that AIQ, a British Columbia company, failed to meet its obligations under Canadian privacy laws when it used and disclosed the personal information of millions of voters in British Columbia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

AggregateIQ Data Services (AIQ), data protection, employment law, Personal Information Protection Act, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, privacy laws, security measures

Is GPS data “personal information?”

July 19, 2019 Devan Marr Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Privacy and Security, 0

A recent decision by the Alberta Privacy Commissioner has confirmed that in some cases, an organization’s requirement for independent contractors to install GPS tracking devices on their vehicles will not violate applicable privacy legislation but does the data collected may be considered “personal information”.

employment law, GPS data, GPS devices, monitoring employees with GPS tracking, personal information, Personal Information Protection Act

Three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk

February 28, 2019 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources, Payroll, Privacy and Security, Source Deductions and Reporting, Wages and Compensation, 0

The three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with privacy laws and T4s, pay transparency reporting requirements, and a breach of salary information under the Personal Information Protection Act in Alberta.

employment law, pay transparency, Personal Information Protection Act, T4s

Health record snooping nets hefty fine

May 23, 2017 Employer Advisor, McCarthy Tétrault LLP Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Privacy and Security, Union Relations

In a recent case out of Goderich, Ontario a $20,000 fine, the highest of its kind in Canada, was handed out for a health privacy violation.

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Arbitrators should apply ‘privacy spectrum’ to personal information

July 25, 2014 Adam Gorley Employee Relations, Human Resources, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Privacy and Security, Union Relations

The names of people involved in labour arbitration should be disclosed with the arbitrator’s decisions, unless there are compelling reasons not to do so, according to the open-court principle and the public’s interest. The British Columbia Labour Relations Board affirmed the law in a recent review of an arbitrator’s decision. The board also affirmed arbitrators’ […]

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Three of the most popular articles this week on HRinfodesk

February 6, 2014 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Privacy and Security, Wages and Compensation

Three of the most popular articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with an employer who accessed an employee’s email without consent; an employee who was constructively dismissed after required to perform several extra functions in addition to his job; and how workplace accommodation is only triggered upon full disclosure of disability.

constructive dismissal, corporate laptop, disclosure of disability, discriminatory treatment, duty to accommodate, employee’s personal email messages, employer accessed an employee’s email without consent, employment law, HRinfodesk, job description, Newsletter, Personal Information Protection Act, PIPA, workplace accommodation

Video surveillance and the workplace – Part 2

April 20, 2012 David Hyde Human Resources, Privacy and Security

A mixture of incognizance and apathy often prevails in the private sector when it comes to understanding and applying legal privacy considerations in the installation and use of video cameras…

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Employer and insurer both breached privacy of employee

June 29, 2011 Christina Catenacci Human Resources, Privacy and Security

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.

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