Table Of Content

tnrRnftfc ^ssnss^ Ontario Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly Review of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1987 'kf 5753 .06482 1991 C . 1 tor mai 1st Session, 35th Parliament 40 Elizabeth II STANDING COMMITTEE ON COMITE PERMANENT DE THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY L'ASSEMBLEE LEGISLATIVE Ontano LEGISLA.TIVE ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLES LEGISLATIVE TORONTO, ONTARIO M7A 1A2 The Honourable David Warner, M.P.P., Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Sir, Your Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly has the honour to present its report on the Review of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1987 and commends it to the House. Chair Queen's Park ' December, 1991 X. Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Ontario. Legislative Assembly. Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly. Review of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1987 Text in English and French with French text on inverted pages. Title on added t.p.: Ptude de la Loi de 1987 svir I'accfe ^ I’information et la protec¬ tion de la vie privee. ISBN 0-7729-9163-4 1. Ontario. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1987. 2. Freedom of information-Ontario. 3. Privacy, Right of-Ontario. I Title, n Title: £tude de la Loi de 1987 sur I'acc^ a I'information et la protection de la vie priv^. KE4422.0571991 342.713'0662 C92-092504-9E STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY MEMBERSHIP AS OF TUESDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 1991 NOEL DUIGNAN CHAIR BOB FRANKFORD VICE-CHAIR MIKE COOPER CARMAN MCCLELLAND MIKE FARNAN GILLES MORIN ELLEN MACKINNON HUGH O'NEIL MARGARET MARLAND STEVE OWENS IRENE MATHYSSEN NOBLE VILLENEUVE Douglas Amott Clerk of the Committee Andrew McNaught Research Officer Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Ontario Ministry of Finance https://archive.org/details/reviewoffreedomoOOduig I TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. STATUTORY ORDER OF REFERENCE 1 Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. 1987 1 INTRODUCTION 2 Committee Mandate and Hearings 2 History of the Act 3 Description of the Act 3 PUBLIC AWARENESS 5 COVERAGE OF THE ACT 7 Introduction 7 The Legislative Assembly 7 Agencies, Boards, Commissions and other Public Bodies 9 Private Sector 12 EXEMPTIONS TO THE ACT 14 Introduction 14 Cabinet Records 15 Advice to Government 19 Law Enforcement 20 Third Party Information 22 Solicitor-Client Privilege 26 Personal Privacy 28 Introduction 28 Unjustified Invasion of Personal Privacy 29 Mailing Lists 31 Information Soon to be Published 32 Compelling Public Interest 35 Other Exemption Issues 37 Time Limits on Exemptions 37 Existence of a Record 38 Commissioner’s Orders 39 ACCESS PROCEDURE 40 Initial Response Time 40 Notice to Affeaed Person 42 Contents of Notice of Refusal 46 Communications with the Commissioner 47 II PROTECTION OF INDIVIDUAL PRIVACY 48 Introduction 48 Collection and Retention of Personal Information 49 Use and Disclosure of Personal Information 51 Right of Individual to Access and Correction of Personal Information 54 The Balance Between Access and Protection of Privacy 56 The News Media and Victims of Crime 56 Recipients of Social Assistance 59 Emergency Services Personnel 63 Children’s Aid Societies 64 THE APPEAL PROCESS 65 Introduaion 65 Procedure 66 Time Limit for Filing an Appeal 66 Notice to Affected Persons 67 Production of Records 68 Deferring Effect of an Order 69 Time Limits on the Appeal Process 70 Further Right of Appeal 72 New Powers of the Commissioner 75 ReconsiderA^ary a Decision 75 Review of a Head’s Exercise of Discretion 76 FEES 78 PENALTIES 83 RESEARCH ISSUES 85 QUASI -JUDICIAL TRIBUNALS 89 NUISANCE REQUESTS 92 OFFICE OF THE INFORMATION AND PRIVACY COMMISSIONER 95 Introduction 95 Administration 96 Term of Office 96 Assistant Commissioners 97 Oath of Office 98 Salary 100 Pension 102 Temporary Commissioners 103 Staff 104 Powers of the Commissioner 109 Review of Procedures and Practices of Institutions 109 Order to Cease a Use, Disclosure, Retention or Collection Practice 112 COMPUTER MATCHING 114 MISCELLANEOUS 117 Documents to be Made Available by Institutions 117 Information and Privacy Co-ordinators 119 Seaion 77 of the Workers’ Compensation Act 120 The Ombudsman 121 District Health Councils 123 Distinction Between Officers and Employees in the Commissioner’s Office 124 Health Care Records 125 Genealogical Records 125 Legislative Review 128 Technical Amendments 128 LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS 129 APPENDIX A Schedule of Hearings APPENDIX B Written Submissions Received r A \ V, / . .V ■