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ARTICLE · 27 DECEMBER 2022

Heightened Privacy Obligations For Public Bodies In British Columbia

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Amendments to British Columbia's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) taking effect on February 1, 2023, will impose more stringent privacy requirements...

CanadaPrivacy
J. Sébastien Gittens
J. Sébastien Gittens
Stephen D. Burns
Stephen D. Burns
David Wainer
David Wainer
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Amendments to British Columbia's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) taking effect on February 1, 2023, will impose more stringent privacy requirements on provincial public bodies, such as hospitals, municipalities and crown corporations, and numerous agencies, boards and commissions.

By way of background, FIPPA regulates, among other things, how public bodies in British Columbia collect, use and disclose personal information. This legislation does not currently require public bodies to (1) notify the Office and Powers of Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) and affected individuals in the event of a "privacy breach", or (2) have a privacy management program. Bill 22 – 2021: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2021 (Bill 22) will introduce each of these requirements into FIPPA when in force.

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