This Quick Reference provides guidance and interpretation of the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) in both B.C. and Alberta. It explains what personal employee information can or must be kept by the employer, what it can be used for and with whom it can be shared. It outlines employers’ requirements with respect to the collection, disclosure, enforcement rules, process and use of personal information by organizations.

New in This Edition:

• Updates on recent case law impacting the B.C. PIPA in relation to facial recognition and Wi-Fi use, work product information, personal e-mails on a work account, political parties, human rights tribunals, biometric information, video surveillance, cameras and surveillance in the workplace, unions requesting personal information about employees, control of information, solicitor/client communications, payment of fees for accessing information, data breaches, disability benefits and liquor and cannabis retailers.
• Information on a report with 10 recommendations from the British Columbia Privacy Commissioner or federal privacy Commissioner on updating the B.C. PIPA.
• Updates on recent case law in Alberta relating to religious organizations, federally regulated industries, issues around conscience, collection of information for personal or domestic purposes, withdrawal of complaints, information collected by GPS, deemed consent in workplace investigations, technology used to gather personal information, consent where a person’s partner provided the personal information, disclosure of information pertaining to children, collecting information for litigation in employment, loan applications, credit reports, divorce proceedings, notification under privacy policies, disclosure of information to police, power of attorney for family members, OH&S obligations, client files held by law firms and information sent to foreign companies.
• Information on a report prepared by the Alberta Privacy Commissioner on the ABTraceTogether contact-tracing app for COVID-19.