FOIPN Presentation: Privacy Breaches and Best Practices

I had the privilege last week of presenting at the Freedom of Information Police Network (FOIPN) Fall Conference at Horseshoe Resort. It was a pleasure to meet and re-connect with many of the members of the FOIPN!

The subject of my presentation was “Privacy Breaches and Best Practices“, with emphasis on best practices for provincial and municipal institutions in Ontario covered by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

During the presentation, I highlighted real-world examples of breaches and provided step-by-step guidelines on how to effectively manage such incidents, from the initial discovery to the final resolution. I also described how Ontario Bill 194, the Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024, will affect provincial institutions’ response obligations when dealing with a privacy breach.

Thank you to the FOIPN team for inviting me to speak on this critical and timely topic. The evolving landscape of privacy legislation, especially with the upcoming changes under Bill 194, means that institutions may need to reconsider their current privacy breach protocols to ensure compliance and accountability.

For those who were unable to attend or would like a deeper dive, I’m happy to share the slides from my presentation. You can find them available for download below. They include detailed insights and practical tips that can help your institution better prepare for and respond to privacy breaches.

For additional resources on dealing with privacy breaches, see my previous FOI Assist Knowledge Base Article, The Privacy Breach Management Toolkit.

Thanks again to everyone who participated, and I look forward to continuing the conversation on privacy best practices!

The FOI Assist Software

You wouldn’t use a typewriter to draft letters, and you wouldn’t use overhead markers to prepare an important presentation. So why are you still processing FOI requests manually, when there’s a software solution that tracks deadlines, calculates fees, guides you through the process, and prepares ready-to-go correspondence in both official languages, all in full compliance with Ontario’s FOI legislation?

It’s time to check out the FOI Assist software. Designed by an Ontario lawyer with experience running a provincial Freedom of Information program, the FOI Assist software will save you time, relieve the stress of meeting Ontario’s tight FOI deadlines, and help Make Freedom of Information Easy^TM at your institution.

Your IT team will love it too, because it runs in the cloud, so there’s no need to install anything. Instead, the FOI Assist software is accessed via a web browser, just like LinkedIn or Facebook, or the FOI Assist Knowledge Base you are reading right now.

Request a demonstration today! Just click on the link below.

I would like a demonstration of the FOI Assist software.