Privacy Management
The W Group offers comprehensive privacy management support including a review of existing materials, the creation and placement of FOIPPA statements, privacy training for employees and contractors, and records management support for compliance and capacity building.
Why Care About Privacy?
Public confidence in the responsible management of personal information is crucial to building and maintaining residents' trust. To achieve this, each city must adopt a data governance framework that maintains integrity, security and trustworthiness.
The Government of British Columbia has directed all public bodies to have a privacy management program in place by February 1st, 2023 in accordance with section 36.2 of the Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA).
Going forward, the Office of Information & Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia will conduct investigations and audits to examine whether municipalities and regional districts have developed, instituted, and maintained a privacy management program.
The Role of a Privacy Officer
A privacy officer is the first point of contact when privacy issues arise. They are responsible for developing and communicating a privacy policy, monitoring compliance, and handling complaints.They must also be knowledgeable about new privacy regulations and updates as they happen.
Each municipality must have, at a minimum, strong privacy and data breach policies to comply with regulations. Bring policies to life by ensuring employees receive the appropriate privacy and security training. Finally, be prepared to work with the Information and Privacy Commissioner in the event of an investigation.
Step 1: Assess Where You're At
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Start by designating a Privacy Officer and develop or confirm a privacy policy.
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Next conduct an organizational review to see what needs to be addressed for your municipality to become privacy compliant.
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Examine all Forms (paper and digital), subscription forms, surveys, application forms, newsletter lists, etc.
Free Consultation Offer
Founder and Managing Partner, Kent Waugh, has 38+ years of experience conducting public consultation on behalf of dozens of communities.
Kent works exclusively with municipalities and has provided ongoing FOIPPA & CASL legislation support to the City of Surrey for the past 10 years
With the right partner by your side, you can rest assured that your privacy program is on the best path to success.
Check out our privacy newsletter
Access past editions of our newsletter focused on privacy management for local government. Explore a treasure trove of information covering topics like FOIPPA compliance, training, privacy management checklists, and more.
