privacy rights

Privacy Commissioner of Canada releases its annual report

January 6, 2020 Christina Catenacci Human Resources, Privacy and Security, 0

On December 10, 2019, the Privacy Commissioner Canada released its Annual 2018–2019 Report to Parliament on the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

breach reporting, employment law, facebook, PIPEDA, privacy, Privacy Act, privacy breach, privacy rights

Recent reports regarding privacy: 2018-2019 survey of Canadians on privacy and 2017 survey of Canadian businesses on privacy-related issues

June 3, 2019 Christina Catenacci Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Privacy and Security, 0

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has a mandate to protect and promote privacy rights of Canadians, and this includes conducting public opinion research with the general population and also with Canadian businesses on privacy-related issues.

data breaches, employment law, online personal information, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, personal privacy, PIPEDA, privacy, privacy compliance practices, privacy policies, privacy rights

Should employers talk about mental health in the workplace?

January 27, 2016 Marcia Scheffler Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Recruiting and Hiring, Standard for Customer Service, Standard for Employment, Standard for Information and Communications, Standard for the Built Environment, Standard for Transportation, Union Relations

Recent news in the media has highlighted competing perspectives on mental health, one story focusing on the importance of mental health privacy, and the other campaigning for speaking out about mental health. Wednesday Jan 27, 2016 has been designated as the Bell Let’s Talk day, meaning let’s talk about mental illness, as part of Bell’s multi-year campaign around the issue. This seems in contrast to a recent human rights decision about student mental health privacy rights at York University.

Bell Let’s Talk day, employment law, human rights decision, let’s talk about mental illness, mental health, mental health privacy, privacy rights, Risks to employers who talk about employee mental health

Public disclosure of private facts: New class action certification

January 6, 2016 Lisa Stam, Spring Law Employee Relations, Human Resources, Privacy and Security

I have a particular interest in technology and its impact on the workplace. A key consequence of the impact of technology is our evolving relationship with privacy rights. As our lives become more digital, our privacy is more difficult to control. Deactivating my Facebook account is not the same as drawing the shades on my front window. Who knows where all that data continues to hang out online and who has access to it?

class action, digital, employment law, Marihuana Medical Access Program, privacy law, privacy rights, public disclosure of private facts, technology and its impact on the workplace, tort of intrusion upon seclusion, tort of public disclosure of private facts

BYOD: is personal information visible over corporate networks?

July 26, 2013 Adam Gorley Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Privacy and Security, Recruiting and Hiring, Wages and Compensation

Employers are increasingly drafting and implementing bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies for their employees. And they should be, since employees are increasingly using their personal digital devices—phones, tablets, laptops—to perform work, both in and out of the workplace. But employees may have trouble trusting their employers to stay out of their personal information…

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Common law privacy rights: a shifting stance

April 20, 2011 Andrew Taillon Human Resources, Privacy and Security

The recent case of R. v. Cole 2011 ONCA 218, a decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal suggests that employees may have some expectations of privacy with regard to work based emails under the Charter.

Charter, common law, Common law privacy rights, Employee privacy, employment law, expectations of privacy, PIPEDA, possession of child pornography, privacy rights, R. v. Cole, reasonable expectation of privacy, unauthorized use of a computer, work based emails, Wrongful dismissal suits

Customer privacy policies and employee handling of customer personal information

June 23, 2010 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Human Resources, Privacy and Security

A weekend Toronto Star article reported that employees at the Canada Revenue Agency are improperly reviewing the private financial affairs of taxpayers. Some are using agency computers to give favoured treatment to colleagues, friends, family—and themselves…

Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, customer personal information, disclosure of personal information, employment law, personal information, personal information protection, PIPA, PIPEDA, privacy, privacy and risk management, privacy breach, privacy legislation, privacy policy, privacy rights

Don’t underestimate conflicts that arise from harassment

January 29, 2010 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Health and Safety, Human Resources

One other session I attended at the 2010 Ontario HRPA conference was Andrew Lawson’s on Protecting your organization from the workplace bully. He made a couple of good points on the topic of workplace harassment that I would like to share with you.

Andrew Lawson, Bill 168, bully, bullying, canadian employment law, harassment, harassment in the workplace, health and safety, HR issues, HRPA, Human Resources, occupational health and safety, Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, privacy legislation, privacy rights, workplace conflicts, workplace harassment

Disclosing persons with a history of violence

January 27, 2010 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Health and Safety, Human Resources

The Ontario Occupational Health and safety Act violence and harassment prevention provisions (Bill 168) require employers to provide information, including personal information, about a person with a history of violent behaviour if:

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