Ontario Privacy Rights: What’s Protected and How to Act

Privacy in Ontario is protected through a framework of laws rather than a single statute. Your rights depend on who holds your information—a provincial ministry, municipality, hospital, or private business—and what kind of data it is, such as general personal details or health records.

What information is protected?
In the public sector, “personal information” includes identifiable details about you—your name with other identifiers, contact information, age, education or employment history, and financial data held by government bodies. In healthcare settings, “personal health information” covers data related to your physical or mental health, including diagnoses, lab results, treatment notes, and records maintained by hospitals, clinics, and other health custodians.

Your core privacy rights:
Ontario law provides three fundamental rights. First, the right to access—you can request copies of your personal or health information from organizations covered by the law. Second, the right to correct—if records are inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask that they be amended. Third, the right to complain—if your information is improperly collected, used, disclosed, or access is denied, you can file a complaint with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Key laws that protect you

• FIPPA governs provincial ministries and agencies.

• MFIPPA applies to municipalities and local public bodies.

• PHIPA protects personal health information.

• PIPEDA covers many private-sector businesses engaged in commercial activities.

Public-sector access requests typically follow a formal FOI process and may include a small application fee. Health records are requested directly from the provider. Complaints can be filed with the IPC or, for private businesses, the federal privacy regulator.

Moving forward, Identify the right law for your situation, then confidently access, correct, or challenge how your data is handled.