Privacy and access to information
Companies in the public and private sector recognize that privacy and access to information issues touch on almost every area of their business. This is why our team spans the areas of business, employment and labour, litigation and intellectual property.
Our cross-functionality enables us to give focused advice to specific business units while keeping management apprised of the big picture on emerging privacy trends and global standards. We offer practical solutions to privacy issues that arise in marketing, client development, human resources and customer credit initiatives.
We regularly assist clients with representations to the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, as well as their provincial equivalents.
Our multi-disciplinary expertise allows us to provide solutions to privacy issues arising around:
- banking and financial products
- the sale and financing of public or private companies
- hiring, including the design of web hiring sites, evaluation practices and employee requests for access to their personnel files
- information technologies including Internet privacy compliance, and system design and security with respect to use and transfer of personal information
- marketing and advertising initiatives
- mergers, acquisitions and financings
- transfer of personal information to subsidiaries, joint ventures and strategic alliances
- outsourcing of storage, data processing and other personal information functions
- product design and development to ensure privacy legislation compliance
- privacy obligations and warranties related to customers, suppliers and business partners
- international issues, including compliance with U.S. “safe harbor”" requirements and information transfer agreements under the European Union Data Directive
We offer you
- development of multi-jurisdictional privacy policies for Canadian and multinational business
- coordination and execution of privacy audits
- drafting privacy policies and statements
- providing privacy strategies
- responses to requests for access to information in both the private and public sector and drafting third party responses to public sector access requests
- development of document retention and destruction policies
- providing information required by government regulators in a way that ensures confidentiality
- litigation before administrative tribunals and provincial and federal courts
- representation on complaints lodged with provincial/federal privacy and information commissioners
- handling of security breaches