Recent Articles
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Career Opportunity at the Ministry of the Attorney General
The Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario has an opening for a permanent full-time Junior Program Analyst in its Justice Sector Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Office.
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Privacy Breach Letter Template for Public Institutions
Today’s article presents a letter template that Ontario public sector organizations can use when notifying individuals affected by a privacy breach.
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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! For those who were unable to attend or would like a deeper dive, I’m happy to share the slides from…
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The Privacy Breach Management Toolkit
The Government of Canada’s Privacy Breach Management Toolkit is intended to support the management and prevention of privacy breaches. Although its guidance is directed primarily at institutions who fall under Canada’s federal privacy legislation, it can be adapted to meet the needs of other types of institutions, and it is well-suited for adoption by provincial…
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Changes to IPCO’s Appeal Process
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario recently introduced changes to the appeal process that will be of interest to all institutions who process FOI requests.
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RFP Submissions Aren’t Public Information
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPCO) recently released a decision which provides guidance on the topic of disclosing information contained in RFP submissions. The decision explores whether information submitted by the winning proponent of an RFP process should be made available to the public under an FOI request.
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Sharing Information in Situations Involving Intimate Partner Violence
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPCO) has released new guidance to help institutions make informed decisions about privacy, confidentiality, and public safety in situations of intimate partner violence (IPV) risk.
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Bill 194 mandates Privacy Impact Assessments
Bill 194 updates FIPPA to strengthen cyber security, enhance privacy protections, ensure the responsible use of AI, and mandate Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA’s) in certain cases.
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The $5 Application Fee: Sorry, No Refunds!
What should an institution do if a requestor asks for a refund of the $5 application fee? And are there any situations where an institution should refund the $5 fee as a matter of course?
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University of Toronto’s Sunlight Project
The University of Toronto has released the Sunlight Project, described as “the most comprehensive Canadian database of Freedom of Information requests.” Read today’s article on the FOI Assist Knowledge Base to learn more.
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FOI reaches the Supreme Court of Canada: the Mandate Letter Decision
In today’s article, I don’t wish to focus on who made the best decision in terms of whether the mandate letters should be disclosed to the public. Rather, I think the most important issues from this case are the debate over the standard of review the court applied to the IPCO decision, and the court’s…
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Seeking Expert Insights: Video Redaction for FOI Requests
If you have any recommendations for either software or a service for video redactions, I would love to see them! You can leave a reply below, or if you prefer you can contact me directly with any tips or advice you may have about good solutions for redacting or blurring video footage in response to…
FOI Assist Knowledge Base 