Annual Report - Privacy Act, 2014-2015

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Annual Report - Privacy Act

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Privacy Act

Annual report
(April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015)

Introduction

The Privacy Act protects the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution and provides individuals with a right of access to that information.

This report has been prepared and will be tabled in Parliament in accordance with Section 72 of the Privacy Act. The information contained in this report pertains to the administration of the Privacy Act within the Parks Canada Agency.

The Parks Canada Agency’s mandate is to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage and to foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations.

The Parks Canada Agency manages programs relating to national parks, national marine conservation areas, national historic sites, historic canals, heritage railway stations, Canadian heritage rivers and federal heritage buildings.

The responsibility for the administration of the Privacy Act lies within the Office of the Chief Executive Officer.  The Access to Information and Privacy Office coordinates all activities related to the legislation for the Agency.  It is comprised of five (5) full-time employees.  Since its establishment, the Access to Information and Privacy Office continues to develop internal policies and procedures in order to meet its obligations in compliance with the Privacy legislation. A solid base of tools are now accessible to Agency officials and progress has been noticeable to update and develop new internal policies and procedures.  The Agency also refers to Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Directives to obtain guidance.

The Agency is comprised of forty-five (45) national parks, one hundred and sixty-eight (168) national historic sites and four (4) national marine conservation areas.  The Agency is highly decentralized with team members located across the country and often in remote areas.

The following report presents an overview of activities carried out within the Agency during the reporting period of April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015.

Statistical report - Privacy Act requests

The appended report (Appendix A) contains detailed statistics on the information requests processed under the Privacy Act.

Interpretation of the Statistical Report Privacy Act Requests

Between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015, six (6) formal information requests were received under the Privacy Act.  Three (3) requests were carried forward from the previous reporting period.  Seven (7) requests were completed before the end of March.  Two (2) requests were carried forward to the next reporting period as additional time was required to process the large volume of records.

Those requests that were completed resulted in the partial disclosure of the records.  The information that was exempted from disclosure was personal information pertaining to other individuals.

The one (1) request that was abandoned was received from an individual who, after being informed of the provisions of the Act, did not respond to our correspondence.

Time limitations

During fiscal year 2014-2015, three (3) requests were processed within the initial 30-day period.  In four (4) cases, additional time was required due to the number of records requested.

Costs

The costs reported in the statistical report are only those costs incurred for the processing of requests as the Privacy Act does not authorize the assessment of fees for the processing of requests for personal information.

Formal / Informal Interface

The Agency continues to provide the public with information on an informal basis.  Information is provided only when the Agency is satisfied that the information requested concerns the individual requesting it or where at least one of the conditions outlined in subsection 8(2) of the Act is met.

Between April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015, no informal requests were processed under the Privacy Act.

Complaints / Investigations

No complaints were filed with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada during the reporting period under review.

Consultations Received from Other Institutions and Organizations

Between April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015, the Agency did not receive any consultations under the Privacy Act.  No consultations were carried forward from the previous reporting period.  No consultations were carried forward to the next reporting period.

Exempt Banks

The Agency maintains no exempt banks.

Administrative Practices

Delegation of Authority

Decision-making responsibility for the application of the various provisions of the Privacy Act is fully delegated to the Agency Privacy Coordinator.

Procedures

The Secretariat acts as a central coordinating point for the processing of information requests received under the Privacy Act.  As such, the Secretariat maintains data banks and keeps statistical records on requests processed.  Requests are received by the Secretariat and forwarded to the appropriate Program for retrieval of the requested records. Program officials retrieve the records and prepare preliminary recommendations concerning their disclosure.  These recommendations are reviewed by the Secretariat.  The Secretariat assesses the application of the Act and prepares the records for disclosure.

The Secretariat does not presently monitor the time required to process privacy requests. Additional reporting mechanisms are being planned in the next reporting period.

Briefing sessions

To ensure that all employees of the Agency are aware of the legislation, awareness sessions are given periodically. These sessions provide basic information on the provisions of the Privacy Act.

In 2014-2015, seven (7) sessions were given to Agency employees in the National Capital Region.  In total, eighty-two (82) employees attended these sessions.

Privacy Impact Assessments

Between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015, no privacy impact assessments were initiated.  Twenty (20) assessments were carried forward from the previous reporting period.  None were completed at the end of the reporting period.

Privacy Breaches

There were no material privacy breaches reported during the period under review.

Disclosure of personal information pursuant to 8(2)(e) of the Privacy Act

There were no disclosures of personal information made during the reporting period under review.

Disclosure of personal information pursuant to 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act

There were no disclosures of personal information made during the reporting period under review.

Data Matching Activities

There were no data matching activities during the reporting period under review.

Organizational contact information

Parks Canada National Office
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, Quebec
Canada
J8X 0B3

Email: information@pc.gc.ca

Telephone:888-773-8888 (General inquiries)

Telephone — international:819-420-9486 (General inquiries — international)

Parks Canada Agency

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