Privacy Legislation in British Columbia - Personal Information Protection Act, Harper Grey Insurance Law Bulletin

(This article was published prior to the firm name change to Harper Grey LLP.  For further information about the article please contact the author Barbara Norell at bnorell@harpergrey.com.)

On January 1, 2004, B.C.’s new privacy legislation, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) became law.  PIPA has the potential to dramatically change the manner in which organizations conduct business in B.C.  It may affect an organization’s relationships with its customers, clients, employees, contractors and other businesses.  Private sector organizations must be aware of this important new legislation and steps they should take to comply with it.  The following briefly outlines the requirements of PIPA for organizations generally.  PIPA applies to the wide spectrum of the private sector, from construction companies to accountants, and from restaurants to insurers.  Out of necessity, it contains general principles.  How those general principles apply will depend on many factors such as: the nature of the relationship between an organization and the individuals from whom it is collecting information; the type of personal information collected; and whether there are already in place sectoral privacy codes or guidelines or legislation that regulate that organization.

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