The Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) applies to CAMH. It provides a general right of access to records that have been in CAMH’s custody or control as of January 1, 2007. FIPPA also provides a right to the protection of personal information.
The principles of FIPPA are:
- information should be available to the public
- exemptions from the right of access should be limited and specific
- decisions on whether to provide access are appealable to the Information & Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
- the personal privacy of individuals should be protected
- individuals have a right of access to their own personal information.
Some records can be accessed without a formal access request through routine or proactive disclosure.
Please note: access to personal health information, such as a patient’s medical chart, is not available under FIPPA. The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) applies to a patient’s medical information, and CAMH protects patients’ medical information in accordance with PHIPA. If you wish to make a request for your own patient chart, please use the PHIPA request process.
Privacy protection
FIPPA sets out rules for protecting the privacy of individuals including provisions for the collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of personal information. Personal information is recorded information about an individual, including their name, address, telephone number, their race, religion, sex, family status, personal opinions or views and their correspondence sent in confidence. It also includes their medical information as well as their employment history and financial transactions.
Directory of Records & Personal Information Banks ("the Directory")
The Directory is a list of the general classes or types of records and personal information banks (PIBs) in the custody or under the control of CAMH. Its purpose is to assist members of the public in understanding what records are held by CAMH and is used to assist in exercising their right of access to these records.
The Directory does not contain the actual records for which it is necessary to make an access request to CAMH’s Information & Privacy Office, by e-mailing [email protected]. The following is a description of the information provided in the Directory about each general class of records and personal information bank.
General Classes of Records (GCR)
For each class of General Records, the following information is provided:
- the title, type or class of records
- a description of the type of information maintained
- the department responsible for maintaining the records
- retention and disposal (how long we keep the records).
Personal Information Banks (PIBs)
For each Personal Information Bank, the following information is provided:
- the title of the PIB
- a description of the type of information maintained
- legal authority for collection of the personal information
- retention and disposal (how long the information is kept).
In some cases, a record may qualify as both a general record and a PIB because the general record includes some personal information. The record type listed will then have both “GCR” and “PIB” next to it in the Directory to indicate that the record includes both general and personal information.
Common Records
Some classes of records are common to most departments. Examples are general administration records and minutes of meetings. When a record type is commonly held, this will usually be indicated.
