Alberta OIPC responds to HIA amendments

The Government of Alberta recently introduced Bill 46 that proposes several amendments to Alberta’s Health Information Act, and to the legal framework for Electronic Health Records. The provisions of Bill 46 indicate a philosophical shift — from viewing health information as being in the hands of Authorized Custodians, who are permitted to share it under specified circumstances — to becoming a pool of health information where the objective is to provide access. Similarly, the Bill proposes a subtle but fundamental shift in the purpose for collecting health information. Indeed, under Bill 46, the purpose becomes “enabling access to health information.” The Information and Privacy Commissioner has articulated several concerns with Bill 46. Read more