On June 17, 2021, the Ontario government released a white paper that outlines proposals for
standalone private sector privacy legislation in the province. The
proposals, if ultimately introduced as law, would represent a
significant change to the privacy obligations of businesses that
collect, use and disclose personal information in Ontario.
Ontario does not currently have a private sector privacy statute
of general application. Currently, private sector organizations in
Ontario (outside of the health sector) are governed by the federal
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act (PIPEDA), but only in respect of personal information
collected in the course of commercial activities. Provincially
regulated employers in Ontario, for example, are not subject to any
privacy legislation in respect of their processing of employee
personal information for employment-related purposes. Similarly,
non-commercial organizations in Ontario such as charities,
