This release was issued under a previous government.
Bill 3, the Personal Information Protection Amendment Act, 2014, proposes amendments to Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). PIPA continues to:
- have common sense rules for collection, use, disclosure and protection of personal information by organizations, and
- include protections for personal employee information and regulation of non-profit commercial activities.
“Protection of privacy is a priority for this government. We are responsive to the changing information needs of society and will be consulting further on this legislation starting next summer as part of a scheduled renewal.”
Bill 3 proposes revisions that authorize trade unions to collect, use and disclose personal information without consent only in the limited circumstances of a matter relating to a labour relations dispute.
Service Alberta receives an average of 600 inquiries to its PIPA help desk every year from employees, employers and stakeholders. PIPA provides greater protection for private sector employees’ personal information than does existing federal legislation.
Backgrounder
In 2006, the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 401 had photographed and videotaped people crossing the picket line during a legal strike at the Palace Casino at West Edmonton Mall.
In 2011, the union challenged the validity of the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) after the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner ruled the union’s disclosure of private information was in violation of the Act.
On November 15, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that PIPA contravened the union’s right to freedom of expression under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While Alberta worked to make PIPA constitutionally compliant, the legislation remained in force to ensure continued protection of personal information in Alberta.