Oak Valley Health has an Office of Access and Privacy. It is committed to protecting the privacy of the clients we serve, while maintaining our accountability to the public through openness and transparency. We accomplish this by respecting the spirit and compliance requirements of the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), 2004, and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), 1990.

The Office of Access and Privacy is comprised of the chief privacy officer and a privacy officer who are responsible for building and supporting the culture of privacy through interpretation, education, and guidance. We support and assist staff, physicians, patients, and families to ensure the protection of their personal information/personal health information.

Oak Valley Health also hosts the MEDITECH Expanse system for the Shared Health Information Network Exchange (SHINE) partnership between us, Southlake Regional Health Centre, and Stevenson Memorial Hospital. For questions about PHIPA requirements for this project, visit the SHINE page.

For more information, please download our privacy brochure and our PHIPA frequently asked questions (FAQs) guidance document.

For more information about your privacy rights, or if you are unable to resolve a problem directly with Oak Valley Health, contact:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor St. E., Suite 1400
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8
Phone: 416-326-3333
Toll-free: 1-800-387-0073
Email: info@ipc.on.ca

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990 (FIPPA) is two-fold in its mandate. First, it provides a right of access to information under the control of government organizations in accordance with the following principles:

  • Information should be available to the public and exemptions to the right of access should be limited and specific.
  • The Act protects personal information held by government organizations and provides individuals with a right of access to their own personal information.
  • Decisions on the disclosure of government information may be reviewed by the information and privacy commissioner.

Making a Freedom of Information request

Under FIPPA, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request must be in writing and must provide sufficient detail to allow staff to identify the information you are looking for. If you would like to make a Freedom of Information request, please print, fill out, and mail the request form accompanied by a $5 application fee (cheque or money order, payable to Oak Valley Health).

Please submit your FOI request to:
Office of Access and Privacy
Oak Valley Health
381 Church Street
Markham, ON L3P 7P3

Personal information bank

Oak Valley Health is required under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FIPPA”) to produce an index of Personal Information Banks (PIB) – a description of the collections of personal information (recorded information about an identifiable individual) maintained to support our programs and activities, where such collections are organized and retrievable by an individual’s name or another identifier.

De-identified, aggregated, and anonymized information

We may use your personal health information to generate de-identified, aggregated, or anonymized information that does not reveal your identity. This information is used to conduct research, improve our services, and measure our performance. Oak Valley Health takes steps to mitigate risks associated with the re-identification of personal health information.

We may also share de-identified, aggregated, or anonymized information with third parties. This allows Oak Valley Health and third parties to understand how we are performing, identify and address safety concerns, and make improvements to relevant products or services.

Third parties may include but are not limited to product or service providers to Oak Valley Health, government entities, health sectors partners, and research entities.

Questions about a request

If you need assistance, please contact the Office of Access and Privacy at 905-472-7373 ext. 2183.