Casual Legal: Alberta reboots its privacy laws
DISCLAIMER: This article is meant to provide information only and is not intended to provide legal advice. You should seek the advice of legal counsel to address your specific set of circumstances. Although every effort has been made to provide current and accurate information, changes to the law may cause the information in this article to be outdated.
By Jeskiret Bains
Reynolds Mirth Richards Farmer LLP
Alberta Municipalities Casual Legal Service Provider
Alberta modernized its Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act framework on June 11, 2025, replacing it with two distinct pieces of legislation: the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and the Protection of Privacy Act (PPA).
Access to Information Act
The ATIA grants individuals a right to request records (including digital records) from any public body—ranging from provincial departments and municipalities to universities and police services. Notable changes include:
Electronic records clarity. Applies to emails, databases, and digital logs routinely generated.
Timeline extension. Public bodies now have 30 business days to respond, with added flexibility during emergencies.
Proactive transparency. Bodies are encouraged to publish information even before a formal request.
Right to disregard. Requests deemed abusive, repetitive, unclear, or overly broad can now be declined—with notification and option for appeal.
Broadened exemptions. Includes workplace investigations, labour relations, cabinet confidences (including preparatory documents), and communications with political staff.
Protection of Privacy Act
The PPA sets new privacy standards for public bodies, for example:
Breach notification. Agencies must promptly alert individuals, OIPC, and government officials when there’s a real risk of harm.
Privacy frameworks. Mandates privacybydesign, official privacy programs, and Privacy Impact Assessments.
Enhanced safeguards. Explicitly bans the sale of personal information and governs automated decisionmaking, anonymized data, and datamatching between bodies.
New penalties. Fines now reach up to $200,000 for individuals and $1 million for organizations—among the strictest in Canada.
To access Alberta Municipalities Casual Legal Helpline, Alberta Municipalities members can call toll-free to 1-800-661-7673 or email casuallegal [at] abmunis.ca (casuallegal[at]abmunis[dot]ca) and reach the municipal legal experts at Reynolds Mirth Richards and Farmer LLP. For more information on the Casual Legal Service, please contact riskcontrol [at] abmunis.ca (riskcontrol[at]abmunis[dot]ca), or call 310-MUNI (6864) to speak to Alberta Municipalities Risk Management staff. Any Regular or Associate member of Alberta Municipalities can access the Casual Legal Service.
