Alberta and BC private sector privacy laws approved by federal government

The federal cabinet issued proposed exemption orders today under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) for new privacy legislation in Alberta and British Columbia. Interested parties have 15 days to comment. Once approved, the orders will mean that the Alberta Act and B.C. legislation applies to data collection, use and disclosure within those provinces, while the PIPEDA continues to apply in all other provinces, as well as to interprovincial data transfers and to federally regulated industries. Quebec has already received an exemption order, given a similar finding that its private sector legislation is substantially similar to the PIPEDA. Alberta exemption order B.C. exemption order