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INFORMATION BULLETIN | |
For Immediate Release 2020CITZ0005-000588 March 29, 2020 |
Ministry of Citizens' Services |
Order enables broader use of tech in COVID-19 response | |
VICTORIA – The protection of privacy is a top priority for the B.C. government, and so is protecting the health and safety of British Columbians during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A new ministerial order under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) enables the broader use of communications tools for health-care workers and other public-sector staff who are responding to the COVID-19 state of emergency. This order supports the people working on the front lines to protect the health and safety of British Columbians by ensuring they have access to vital software and technology that can help in this fight. The health and safety measures that provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has put in place throughout the province mean that:
The public-health emergency has made it necessary for government to temporarily enable the use of technologies that would otherwise be restricted under FOIPPA’s current rules. The global pandemic has changed how the Province, health-care providers and organizations in the broader public sector are working. It has affected the way they need to deliver the services and supports that British Columbians count on. British Columbia has the strictest privacy and data-residency laws in Canada. It is one of only two Canadian provinces with legislation requiring the personal information of its citizens to be stored in and only accessed from within Canada. The ministerial order temporarily permits health-care bodies like the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, and health authorities to use communication and collaboration software that may host information outside of Canada. The order also enables B.C. schools and post-secondary institutions to provide online learning for students who have been displaced due to the need for physical distancing. The ministerial order is in effect until June 30, 2020. The Province will work with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner on or before this date to either rescind or renew the order, depending on the pandemic landscape at that time. Quick Facts: FOIPPA makes public bodies more accountable to the public and protects personal privacy by:
The act does not replace other procedures for access to information or in any way limit access to information that is not personal information and is available to the public. Learn More: To see the ministerial order, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/services-policies-for-government/information-management-technology/information-privacy/resources/ministerial_order_085_respecting_disclosures_during_covid-19_emergency__march_2020_pdf.pdf Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in B.C.: http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96165_00 |
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Contacts: | |
For non-medical information relating to COVID-19: Visit: www.gov.bc.ca/COVID19 Email: servicebc@gov.bc.ca Call 1 888 COVID-19 (1 888 268-4319) Service is available 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time | Ministry of Citizens’ Services Government Communications and Public Engagement Cell: 250 812-8768 |
Joint Information Centre COVID Provincial Co-Ordination Plan embc.covidjic@gov.bc.ca 236 478-1336 |