Your Rights under FIPPA: Access to Information & Protecting Privacy of Personal Information

Your rights

Under The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) you have the right to:

• access records (general information) held by Manitoba public bodies (with some exceptions)
• access your personal information held by public bodies
• request that public bodies correct your personal information if you believe there is an error or omission

FIPPA also requires that public bodies protect the privacy of your personal information.

Personal information is any kind of recorded information about you, including:

• your name, address, phone number and email address
• your age, gender, sexual orientation or family status
• your ancestry or nationality, religion, political beliefs, education or job
• your Social Insurance Number or other identifying numbers such as on passport, driver’s licence, bank card or credit card

FIPPA does not apply to your personal health information – this type of information is governed by the Personal Health Information Act.

Public bodies covered by FIPPA include:

• provincial government departments and agencies (including crown corporations, boards and commissions)
• the office of the executive council
• local government bodies (such as cities, municipalities, local government districts, planning districts and conservation districts)
• local public bodies including educational bodies (such as school divisions, universities and colleges)
• health-care bodies (such as hospitals and health authorities)
• and any other body designated in the act’s regulation

Making an access to information request to the public body

• Submit a written request to the public body that holds the records you want. If you’re not sure which public body to contact or have questions about making a request, visit gov.mb.ca/fippa/or contact the Manitoba government at 204-945-1252 or fippa@gov.mb.ca.
• While there is no charge for making a request for access, public bodies will let you know if there is a fee for preparing the information
• The public body’s response to your request must:
  • come within a legislated amount of time (45 to 75 days) 
  • contain the requested information or explain why it did not provide all the information requested 

Making a complaint to the Ombudsman

You have the right to make a complaint for several reasons, including:

• the public body did not respond to your FIPPA request within the required time frame
• you think the fee being charged for access is unreasonable
• you did not get access to all or some of the records you requested
• the public body refused to correct information about you that you think is inaccurate

• you think the public body should not have collected your personal information or collected it in a way that is contrary to FIPPA
• you think the public body used your information for some purpose other than how you expected it to be used
• you think the public body wrongly disclosed your personal information to some other person or organization
• you think the public body failed to protect your personal information in a secure manner

FIPPA complaints must be made in writing which can be done through email, our online forms or in a letter. You can also call us with any questions. Our services are free.