Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
June 8, 2017

Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner – Report P-2017-002 Released

The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Donovan Molloy, has released his Report P-2017-002 under authority of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. A summary of the Report is included below.

To view the Report in its entirety, go to ATIPPA Privacy Reports at www.oipc.nl.ca/reports/commissioner

Summary:

The Complainant submitted a privacy complaint against the Town of Gander (the “Town”) under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 (the “ATIPPA, 2015”). The complaint was in relation to the Town’s decision to provide the Complainant’s conflict of interest complaint made against a Town Councillor (the “Councillor”) to the Town Council for review without first severing the Complainant’s name. Subsequently, the Town Councillor decided to speak to the media regarding the conflict of interest complaint and in the course of doing so, indirectly exposed the Complainant’s identity to the public. The Commissioner determined that the Town breached the Complainant’s privacy by using his information in contravention of section 66(2) (use of personal information) of the ATIPPA, 2015. This breach was exacerbated by the Town’s failure to incorporate policies and procedures and to educate staff and Council about how to best protect personal information from improper use or disclosure. The Commissioner made recommendations to the Town relating to its need for greater caution when handling personal information in similar circumstances in the future.

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Media contact
Donovan Molloy, Q.C.
Information and Privacy Commissioner
709-729-6309

2017 06 08                              3:50 p.m.