Our office was established in 1987 and provides oversight of Ontario’s access and privacy laws. These laws establish the rules for how Ontario’s public institutions, health care providers, children’s aid societies and other child and family service providers may collect, use, and disclose personal information. They also provide the public with a right of access to government-held information and access to their own personal information while ensuring that any personal information held by public institutions, health care providers and child and family service providers remains private and secure.
In addition to overseeing the province’s access and privacy laws, the IPC also serves both the government and public through our mandate to:
- resolve appeals when access to information is refused
- investigate privacy complaints related to personal information
- ensure compliance with the acts
- review privacy policies and information management practices
- conduct research on access and privacy issues and provide comment on proposed government legislation and programs
- educate the public, media and other stakeholders about Ontario’s access and privacy laws and current issues affecting access and privacy
The Commissioner is an officer of the Legislature who is appointed by, and reports to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and is independent of the government of the day.