On December 17, 2014, the Alberta Government's proposed amendments to the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), found in Bill 3, came into force.
The proposed amendments to PIPA and the motivation for the changes are discussed in our previous blog post.
The Government of Alberta was required to amend PIPA when the Supreme Court of Canada found it unconstitutional, on the basis that PIPA infringed on a labour union's freedom of expression by limiting the union's ability to video-tape and photograph individuals crossing the picket line. For more information on the Supreme Court of Canada's judgment, please see previous posts by David Elder discussing the leave decision and the decision itself.
Subject to certain qualifications, the amendments to PIPA allow a labour union to collect, use or disclose personal information about an individual, without their consent, in relation to a labour union dispute.
We will keep you informed on the application and interpretation of this new law in the future, as it will ultimately affect how unions and employers manage the collection, use and disclosure of personal information in the context of a labour dispute.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
