The Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) came into force on December 11, 1997. It was the first legislation of its kind in Canada designed specifically to provide access to information rights and protection of privacy rights concerning personal health information.

Significant amendments to PHIA came into effect on May 1, 2010 and January 1, 2011. For information on PHIA, including information on the amendments, please see:

• practice note produced by Manitoba Ombudsman, Overview of PHIA Amendments
• brochure produced by Manitoba Ombudsman and Manitoba Health titled, Health Information Access and Privacy: A Guide to The Personal Health Information Act
• web page produced by Manitoba Health, The Personal Health Information Amendment Act - effective May 1, 2010
• "Brief Summary" produced by Manitoba Health, A Brief Summary of the Amendments to The Personal Health Information Act

PHIA applies to "trustees": health professionals, health care facilities, public bodies and health services agencies that collect or maintain personal health information. The Act governs an individual's access to his or her own personal health information held by trustees and sets out requirements that trustees must follow to protect the privacy of personal health information.

If you are unfamiliar with access and privacy legislation, you may wish to begin by reading about the Principles of Access and Privacy Legislation, which outlines the values and principles underlying PHIA, FIPPA and most access and privacy legislation in Canada and around the world. Also, our section About The Personal Health Information Act gives more detailed information regarding PHIA.

You will also find information on PHIA in our Reports and Publications section, including news releases and fact sheets on topical issues, special reports that are of public interest and our Annual Reports with statistics and other information about our activities under the legislation. In our Resources section, you will find practice notes that we have prepared to assist persons using PHIA as advice on, but not as a substitute for, the legislation.

For more information on the legislation, see the Manitoba Health PHIA pages at http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/phia/index.html which include brief summaries on PHIA and trustee guides.

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).