Determining The Requirement

The very first step is to determine if a PIA is required.

Ask yourself: Is personal information being collected, used or disclosed in this initiative?

This is a generic tool to use and it is not specific to any institution.

It is information about an "identifiable individual" that is recorded in any form including, without restricting the generality of the foregoing,

1. information relating to the race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age or marital status of the individual,
2. information relating to the education or the medical, criminal or employment history of the individual or information relating to financial transactions in which the individual has been involved,
3. any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual,
4. the address, fingerprints or blood type of the individual.
5. the personal opinions or views of the individual except where they are about another individual or about a proposal for a grant, an award or a prize to be made to another individual by a government institution or a part of a government institution specified in the regulations.
6. correspondence sent to a government institution by the individual that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature, and replies to such correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence.
7. the views or opinions of another individual about the individual.
8. the views or opinions of another individual about a proposal for a grant, an award or a prize to be made to the individual by an institution or a part of an institution referred to in paragraph (e), but excluding the name of the other individual where it appears with the views or opinions of the other individual, and,
9. the name of the individual where it appears with other personal information relating to the individual or where the disclosure of the name itself would reveal information about the individual,

but for the purposes of sections 7, 8 and 26, and section 19 of the Access to Information Act, does not include,

10. information about an individual who is or was an officer or employee of a government institution that relates to the position or functions of the individual including,
    1. the fact that the individual is or was an officer or employee of the government institution,
    2. the title, business address and telephone number of the individual,
    3. the classification, salary range and responsibilities of the position held by the individual
    4. the name of the individual on a document prepared by the individual in the course of employment, and,
    5. the personal opinions or views of the individual given in the course of employment.
11. information about an individual who is or was performing services under contract for a government institution that relates to the services performed, including the terms of the contract, the name of the individual and the opinions or views of the individual given in the course of the performance of those services,
12. information relating to any discretionary benefit of a financial nature, including the granting of a license or permit, conferred on an individual, including the name of the individual and the exact nature of the benefit, and
13. information about an individual who has been dead for more than twenty years

If the answer is "no", then a PIA is not warranted.

If the answer is "yes" or "maybe", then click here to see a list of questions that will help you further determine if a PIA is required. You can print this list and add your comments in writing or you can add your comments online. You may also wish to copy this table onto your personal desktop.

Choosing Your Path

PPIA Report - Overview - Introduction