Bill 3 Amendments To Alberta's Privacy Legislation Now In Force

Amendments to Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), originating in Bill 3, came into force on December 17, 2014. As discussed in our November 2014 Blakes Bulletin: Privacy Exceptions for Picketing: Alberta's Proposed Changes to PIPA, these amendments are the Alberta government's response to the 2013 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner) v. United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 401, in which the court struck down PIPA on the basis that it infringed trade union freedom of expression.

The newly enacted amendments to PIPA address the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by a trade union in connection with a labour dispute. No broader changes to the legislation were made at this time. However, PIPA is slated for comprehensive review starting no later than July 1, 2015.