Defending A Lawsuit Is Not A "Commercial Activity" Under Privacy Legislation

In a case dating back to 2016 but just recently published, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has ruled that the collection and use of a plaintiff's personal information for the purpose of defending against a civil lawsuit is not a "commercial activity" and, as such, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, SC 2000, c 5, ("PIPEDA")does not apply.

The complaint at issue arose as a result of a motor vehicle accident involving two parties, following which the plaintiff commenced civil litigation proceedings against the defendant. A psychiatric assessment was carried out by an independent psychiatrist, retained on behalf of the defendant's insurance company. The plaintiff requested access to the personal information gathered by the psychiatrist. Although the psychiatrist did provide the plaintiff with some information, including a redacted copy of the psychiatric report, the plaintiff filed a complaint with the federal Privacy