The Access and Privacy Division is responsible for investigating complaints and reviewing compliance with access to information and protection of privacy rights under The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and The Personal Health Information Act (PHIA).

PHIA became law in December 1997 and was significantly amended as of May 2010 and January 2011. It was the first legislation of its kind in Canada designed specifically to provide access to information and privacy rights concerning personal health information. FIPPA became law in May 1998 and was significantly amended as of January 2011. FIPPA replaced The Freedom of Information Act that had been in force since September 1988.

If you are unfamiliar with access and privacy legislation in general, a good place to start on this website is with the Principles of Access and Privacy Legislation underlying both FIPPA and PHIA.

Our pages include information specific to either FIPPA or PHIA. You will also find information on FIPPA and PHIA in our Publications section, including news releases and fact sheets, special reports that are of public interest and our Annual Reports with statistics and other information about our activities under the legislation. In our Practice Notes section, you will find practice notes that we have prepared to assist persons using FIPPA and PHIA as advice on, but not a substitution for, the legislation.

For more information on FIPPA, see the Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism FIPPA web pages at http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/fippa/. For more information on PHIA, see the Manitoba Health PHIA web pages at http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/phia/index/html.

Users of our website are cautioned that our guides to and summaries of the legislation are not exhaustive. The original text should be consulted for all purposes of interpreting and applying the law. Our opinions, comments, and recommendations are based on substantive investigation, research and analysis, but we are not legal counsel or a court of law.

Regular visitors to our website should check the What's New page for announcements of additions to our site.

If you have questions, please contact us at (204) 982-9130 (in Winnipeg) or 1-800-665-0531 (toll free in Manitoba).

Volunteers wanted : Introducing a new service - FIPPA Access Practices (FAP) Check-Up

Are you a FIPPA Coordinator? Would you like an informal check-up to strengthen the FIPPA Access Practices in your public body? Are you interested in receiving verbal feedback without the formality of a written report?

The FAP Check-Up is a new initiative that will start in February 2012. Like our formal audit initiative (the FIPPA Access Practices Assessment), the FAP Check-Up involves the review of closed FIPPA files, where access has been refused in whole or in part, or where records do not exist. The areas that are reviewed are compliance with section 12, compliance with timeliness, and the adequacy of the contents of the FIPPA file including adequacy of records preparation (to ensure that a line-by-line review has been undertaken). But unlike the formal audit, the FAP Check-Up provides you with verbal observations and findings, only. No letters! No reports! No recommendations!

Participation in the pilot project does not have any impact on whether or not your public body will be selected for a future formal audit, but the check-up could help you put your FIPPA files into better shape.

If you want more information or want to make an appointment, call Carol Markusoff at 982-9141.

Conference Announcement

Manitoba Ombudsman is pleased to announce the 1st annual Western Canada Health Information Privacy Symposium (formerly Prairie Health Information Privacy Day), to be held April 30-May 1, 2012 at the Coast Plaza Hotel, Calgary, Alberta.

The Western Canada Health Information Privacy Symposium is hosted by Manitoba Ombudsman, the Information & Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, the Information & Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia and the Information & Privacy Commissioner of Saskatchewan.

This year's event is titled "Health Information Privacy - Who Cares?" It is intended for health information trustees of all sorts and is focused on giving practical guidance to both beginners and seasoned privacy experts.