Province proposing changes to privacy and access to information laws

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on March 21, 2025.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

The Alberta government is proposing changes through new legislation to the province’s privacy and access to information laws.

The government introduced legislation on Thursday afternoon to make minor administrative amendments that it says are needed for clarity and streamlining in the Protection of Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act.

Those amendments are being made through Bill 46: Protection of Privacy and Access to Information Statutes Amendment Act.

Amendments to the PoPA include clarifying protections and safeguards for disclosure “by specifying disclosure of non-personal data and data derived from personal information must comply with POPA and areÂ not subject to access to information requests under the ATIA.”

TheyÂ alsoÂ include:

* Clarifying that disclosure of non-personal data provision is not intended to restrict the reporting, summarizing or publication of aggregate or statistical information.

* Explaining that provisions related to data matching and non-personal data do not apply to the Office of Statistics and Information to ensure there are no impacts to their current practices.

Amendments to both acts include aligning wording between the PoPA and ATIA regarding judicial administration records. And amendments include new regulatory powers to support what the government says are upcoming consequential amendments to any legislation referencing the FOIP act.

“Bill 46: Protection of Privacy and Access to Information Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 is another step forward in our commitment to modernizing our privacy legislation to better protect the privacy of Albertans. Ensuring clearly worded legislation supports the Alberta government’s commitment to implementing the strongest privacy protection and the strictest penalties for privacy violations in Canada,” said Minister of Innovation and Technology Nate Glubish in a media statement.

PoPA and ATIA were both passed in December to replace FOIP. They come into effect this spring.

The province says public bodies affected by the two acts identified a need for more clear provisions regarding disclosure of non-personal data as well as data derived from personal information. To reinforce privacy protections provisions have been added clarifying that disclosures of non-personal data and data derived from personal data must comply with PoPA and aren’t subject to access under ATIA.

“Public bodies emphasized data derived from personal information needs to remain subject to privacy protections, even if it is not directly identifiable as personal,” says the government.

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