Health Canada erred in withholding personal information

An individual complained after Health Canada refused to provide him with personal information collected during a fitness-for-work evaluation. Health Canada cited section 28 of the Privacy Act, arguing that disclosing information related to his physical or mental health would be contrary to his best interests. The OPC's investigation found that the requested information was not limited to sensitive health records. Therefore, section 28 did not provide a valid reason to withhold access. The complaint was upheld as well-founded, and Health Canada subsequently agreed to release the information, leading to a resolved outcome.