Review of decisions relating to correction requests or requests for access to information.
As of January 2004, you will be able to make a request under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) to an organization for access to your own personal information, including personal employee information. You may also request a correction to your own personal information. The organization must respond to your request within 45 days.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you may request a review of the organization’s decision by the Information and Privacy Commissioner. The Commissioner may instruct an individual to discuss the decision with the organization prior to accepting the initial request for review. If a resolution cannot be reached between the parties, the Commissioner may decide to authorize a review into the matter.
PIPA allows the Commissioner and his staff to review decisions such as:
An organization’s failure to respond to your request within 45 days.
The organization’s duty to assist you with your request
Refusal of access to information under any of the exceptions of the Act.
The decision by the organization to refuse to make a correction.
The Commissioner will either uphold or overrule the decision of the organization.
You can request that the Commissioner review the decision of the organization by completing and submitting a Request for Review form with applicable attachments. The Commissioner will send a copy of your Request for Review with all attachments to the designated privacy officer at the Organization and any other person the Commissioner considers to be affected.
Complaints relating to breach of privacy by an organization subject to PIPA
If an individual believes that an organization subject to PIPA has participated in the unauthorized collection, use or disclosure of personal information, they may complete and submit a complaint form with applicable attachments to the Commissioner. The organization will automatically receive a copy of the Complainant’s letter unless the individual expresses a concern at the outset, in which case the Commissioner will decide whether or not to provide the complaint, in whole or in part, to the organization.
During the course of a complaint investigation, it may become necessary to disclose the contents (in part or whole) of the complaint letter to the organization that is the subject of the complaint. Should it become necessary to disclose the complaint letter to the organization, an OIPC staff member will contact the complainant to discuss the need for disclosure of the letter.
Each of the Request for Review form and the Complaint form requires that the individual provide an address for service, where that individual is to be contacted by the Commissioner, his staff, the public body and any affected party for all purposes related to their review or complaint. Similarly, the public body and every affected party are required to have addresses for service. Every address for service will be shared with all other parties to the review or complaint. Any change to any party’s address for service must be communicated to both the Commissioner’s Office and all other parties immediately; failure to do so on the part of the individual may result in that individual’s review or complaint not proceeding. These requirements may be modified in appropriate circumstances, such as the involvement of undisclosed (unnamed) parties.
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
AMEC Place
2460-801 – 6th Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta
T2P 3W2
At this time, the Information and Privacy Commissioner does not accept requests for review or complaints via email.
Request for Review form
Complaint form
Address for Service form