The Personal Information Protection Act (‘PIPA’) came into force on January 1, 2004. PIPA regulates the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by provincially-regulated private organizations. Consequently, the PIPA has substantial implications for private sector employers and employees in British Columbia.
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia (“OIPC”) has recently released a set of draft guidelines for particular employment privacy issues. The issues include the pre-employment collection of information, electronic monitoring of employees, and drug and alcohol testing of employees.
The OIPC has requested feedback regarding these draft guidelines from stakeholders in the employment, labour relations, labour arbitration, and privacy communities. Responses must be received by the OIPC no later than August 31, 2004. The links above provide access to the draft guidelines, as well as to the Commissioner’s request, including contact information for those wishing to provide feedback to the OIPC.