Privacy Commissioner probe finds Loblaw took too long to delete PC Optimum accounts

By Canadian Press on March 5, 2026.

GATINEAU — An investigation by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has found that Loblaw took too long to address requests from customers who wanted to delete their PC Optimum accounts.

The office says Loblaw had the mechanism to respond to requests but took an unreasonable amount of time to address them, and that it also failed to respond to some privacy-related inquiries from customers.

In 2024, the office opened an investigation into allegations that some Loblaw customers had been unable to delete their PC Optimum accounts.

The privacy commissioner’s office says Loblaw kept the purchase history of PC Optimum customers on file after the accounts were deleted, and didn’t go far enough to prevent customers from being identified, despite removing personal identifiers such as names and email addresses.

The office says Loblaw has since taken steps to make sure privacy-related requests are responded to on time going forward.

It adds the grocer has also agreed to implement the commissioner’s recommendations, including a third-party review of its anonymization process to make sure consumers aren’t re-identified after their accounts are deleted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2026.

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