On June 8th, the Office of the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner issued an investigation report in which it held that a regional health authority responded appropriately to a privacy breach. Most notably, the OIPC reinforced a recommendation about notification included in its 2015 publication, Privacy Breach Guidelines. The recommendation:
Unless there is a compelling reason not to, [health information] trustees should always notify affected individuals.
This is a novel and conservative variation on the normal harms-related principle that guides notification. It is simply a recommendation – and one directed only at public agencies and health information trustees in Saskatchewan. It is notable nonetheless, however, in that it reflects an arguably developing public sector norm. Right or wrong, there is a unique pressure on public sector institutions to notify that should always be considered as part of a public sector institution’s careful response to a data handling incident.
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