Ontario CA affirms order to make sex offender registry data accessible by forward sortation area

On June 4th, the Ontario Court of Appeal affirmed a 2009 Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario order to disclose sex offender registry data linked to the first three characters of offenders’ postal codes (so called “forward sortation area” data). The IPC had rejected the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services’ argument that the information could not be disclosed in such a manner without causing a degree of harm to offenders contemplated by the “health and safety exemption” in section 14(1)(e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Ontario (Community Safety and Correctional Services) v. Ontario (Information and Privacy Commissioner), 2012 ONCA 393.