The federal government has issued an Order in Council exempting provincially regulated BC private sector organizations from the application of Part I of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”).
PIPEDA is federal privacy legislation which potentially applies to organizations across Canada that collect, use or disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities. The federal government may exempt organizations or activities in provinces that have their own privacy laws if they are substantially similar to the federal law. The recent Order in Council confirms that the BC Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) is substantially similar to Part 1 of PIPEDA. As a result, provincially regulated BC organizations are governed by PIPA.