The Act Respecting Access to Documents Held by Public Bodies and the Protection of Personal Information of Québec requires that personal information cannot be released outside of Québec or entrusted to a body or person outside of Québec to hold, use, or release the information on its behalf until the information is protected at a level that is equivalent to that of provincial law. It is intended to prevent personal data from being exported to other Canadian provinces or other countries that fail to provide the protection that is equivalent to that of Québec law.

New Brunswick’s Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act (PHIPAA), similar to Ontario’s PHIPA, governs the healthcare industry. It requires that personal health information is stored in Canada. Storing the information outside of Canada requires the individual’s consent or it specifically authorized under PHIPAA.

Nova Scotia followed in the footsteps of British Columbia with the Personal Information International Disclosure Protection Act (PIIDPA). The act provides for the regulation of all public bodies including but not limited to education, transportation, health care, and justice. Much like British Columbia, PIIDPA requires public bodies to ensure the personal information is only stored in Canada and only accessed in Canada.

The way that commercial organizations manage the disclosure, use, and collection of personal information is a major concern among businesses and their customers as well as the public at large. Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is a set of laws that direct companies in this practice. This multi-part series will introduce Canadian businesses to the laws and guide them through the process of becoming compliant and applying them to their own organizations.

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is Canada’s set of privacy laws that pertain to how commercial entities manage the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. This multi-part series equips Canadian businesses with the information they need to bring their organization into compliance with the laws. The first segment, Canadian Privacy Laws: PIPEDA and its core Principles in the Cloud, introduced readers to PIPEDA and discussed various concerns that businesses may face regarding the handling of personal information.