Accreditation

A vital element of Professional Certification is knowing that training programs meet high standards and offer content that is relevant to privacy and access professionals — and to employers who look for well qualified candidates.

PACC’s principal objective for approving education and training courses and programs is to foster high quality education and training and the development of educational standards that are relevant to privacy and access professionals.

There is currently no mandatory staff training on access to information in federal institutions, despite the high payoff in terms of raising awareness about the Act and improving processing of access to information requests.

Information Commissioner of Canada Special Report to Parliament

The approval process is realized through extensive investigation of self-evaluation reports prepared by the provider, as well as through evaluations of operations to verify that they operate in compliance with the PACC guidelines.

As part of the accreditation process, PACC assists organizations and post-secondary institutions to develop courses and programs that meet high standards of quality and effectiveness.

---

Accreditation

Accreditation is voluntary, available to eligible programs and individual courses, and may be awarded following a formal, non-governmental review process.

Organizations and institutions that are granted accreditation status agree to uphold the quality standards set out in PACC’s Professional Certification and Accreditation Standards, and agree to periodically submit to annual accreditation renewal and periodic review.

Application fees are on a per program or per course basis. Programs and courses that are denied accreditation may be resubmitted for consideration, and require a new application. 

Application fees and accreditation renewal fees are payable online via bank transfer or credit card, or by check payable to the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, and are non-refundable. 

Payment is due before an initital application will be accepted. Renewal fees must be received before the accreditation expiry date.

Initial applications must be submitted within 12 months of the date payment was made.

Checks should be mailed to:
Privacy and Access Council of Canada
Suite 330, Unit 440
10816 Macleod Trail SE
Calgary AB Canada T2J 5N8

Initial Accreditation Application Fees for Programs or Courses

Effective January 1, 2026:

Initial program accreditation fee	$3,000
Initial course accreditation fee	$450

Annual Accreditation Fees for Organizations with Accredited Programs or Courses

All organizations that have programs or courses accredited by PACC must pay annual accreditation maintenance fees to remain in good standing.

Effective January 1, 2026:

Annual program accreditation maintenance fee	$1,000/year
Annual course accreditation maintenance fee	$300/year
Maximum accreditation fee per organization	$10,000/year

Questions?

For more information or to begin the accreditation process, review the Accreditation FAQs or email registrar_at_PACC-CCAP_dot_ca