Can service providers put conditions on access to information?

When someone requests access to personal information, the service provider must determine if that individual has a right to access the information under Part X of Ontario’s child and family services law, the CYFSA. If they have the right to the information, the provider must release it without conditions.

Once access is granted, service providers cannot place limits on what an individual does with the information. Under the law, individuals are not required to sign agreements, such as non-disclosure agreements, that specify what they will do with the information.

However, service providers may decide to alert the individual to certain restrictions, such as the ban on publishing any information that identifies participants in a protection hearing (s. 87(8)).

To help determine if someone has a right of access to personal information, see the IPC’s Part X Access Guide.