Canadian privacy & access decisions

A complainant alleged that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) inappropriately disclosed her adoptive child's name and her personal information to the child's biological mother, contravening section 8 of the Privacy Act. The child's name had been changed for safety reasons after a closed adoption. The OPC found that, on the balance of probabilities, the CRA likely disclosed the child's adoptive name to the biological mother, leading to significant negative impacts on the family. The investigation also revealed deficiencies in the CRA's internal procedures for safeguarding adopted children's personal information. The OPC issued recommendations to revise procedures, provide comprehensive training, and implement oversight measures. The CRA agreed to implement two of the three recommendations, but declined the oversight measure, leading to a "well-founded and not resolved" finding.

• Whether the CRA disclosed the child’s adoptive name to the biological mother in contravention of section 8 of the Privacy Act
• Whether the CRA's internal procedures for safeguarding adopted children's personal information were adequate

The complainant alleged that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) failed to conduct a reasonable search for Microsoft Teams messages related to ArriveCAN. The CBSA initially informed the complainant that no such records existed, citing a 30-day retention period for MS Teams messages. However, the OIC's investigation revealed that an administrative error prevented the request from being promptly entered into CBSA's case management system, causing a significant delay in processing. This delay meant that by the time the request was actioned, the MS Teams messages would have been automatically deleted. Despite this, CBSA policy required business-related information from MS Teams to be saved to corporate repositories. During the investigation, CBSA searched these repositories and located one responsive record, which was subsequently provided to the complainant. The Commissioner found that the CBSA did not conduct a reasonable search initially due to the processing delays and failure to task program areas, but acknowledged that a reasonable search was eventually completed during the investigation.

• Whether the institution conducted a reasonable search for records
• Whether the administrative error in processing the request impacted the search for records
• Whether the institution's MS Teams retention policy and corporate repository policy were followed

The complainant alleged that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) improperly denied access to personal information related to five grievances, relying on exceptions in subsection 12(1), paragraph 22(1)(b), and section 26 of the Privacy Act. The OPC found that while the CRA conducted reasonable searches, it failed to substantiate its use of some exemptions, particularly paragraph 22(1)(b). The CRA did not demonstrate a clear and direct connection between disclosure and a risk of harm, instead relying on general assertions. The OPC concluded that the complainant did not receive all entitled personal information and found the complaint well-founded. The OPC recommended the CRA reassess its reliance on paragraph 22(1)(b) and disclose more information. However, the CRA maintained its position, leading the OPC to consider the complaint unresolved.

• Whether the Canada Revenue Agency conducted reasonable searches for responsive records
• Whether the Canada Revenue Agency properly applied subsection 12(1) of the Privacy Act to withhold information
• Whether the Canada Revenue Agency properly applied paragraph 22(1)(b) of the Privacy Act to withhold information
• Whether the Canada Revenue Agency properly applied section 26 of the Privacy Act to withhold information
• Whether the Canada Revenue Agency demonstrated a clear and direct connection between disclosure and a risk of harm under paragraph 22(1)(b)
• Whether general assertions of harm are sufficient to justify withholding information under paragraph 22(1)(b)
• Whether the mere fact of an ongoing investigation meets the threshold for harm under paragraph 22(1)(b)
• Whether the potential for strategic advantage is sufficient to justify withholding information under paragraph 22(1)(b)
• Whether professional expertise alone is sufficient to substantiate an exemption claim under paragraph 22(1)(b)
• Whether a case-by-case assessment is required for the application of paragraph 22(1)(b)