IPC Strategic Priorities 2021-2025: Overview
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) is committed to focusing on the access and privacy issues that matter most to Ontarians today and tomorrow.
Our office has selected four strategic priorities to guide our efforts for 2021-2025:
- Privacy and Transparency in a Modern Government
- Children and Youth in a Digital World
- Next-Generation Law Enforcement
- Trust in Digital Health
These priorities address key challenges to the privacy and access rights of Ontarians in an increasingly data-driven world, in which organizations are rapidly accelerating their use of digital tools and artificial intelligence technologies.
These strategic priorities and related goals will assist the IPC in making tough choices, by directing its energies and allocating its resources in key areas where it is likely to have most significant and positive impact.
They represent a bold and exciting vision which the IPC will work towards implementing in consultation and collaboration with many others to provide greatest value to the people of Ontario.
Learn more about the IPC’s strategic priorities, and the feedback we received during our public consultation, in our final report.
Background
In December 2020, the IPC launched a public consultation to seek input from Ontarians on the selection of its strategic priorities.
To fuel the discussion, the IPC released a consultation paper setting out six potential strategic priorities, related goals, and cross-cutting approaches to help guide their achievement.
The proposed strategic priorities were developed through the office’s daily scan of emerging issues and concerns voiced by stakeholders, media, and the public. They were further informed by in-depth research on access and privacy trends emerging across Canada and around the world.
The IPC’s external ad hoc strategic advisory committee, an independent group of 18 privacy and access experts from various sectors, provided extensive feedback and guidance on the development of the priorities.
The IPC received nearly 60 submissions from a wide range of stakeholders during the public consultation process. These included advocacy groups, children’s aid societies, Crown corporations, health institutions, individuals, law enforcement agencies, municipalities, private sector organizations, provincial institutions, researchers, think tanks, and universities.
Many stakeholders expressed a willingness to work with the IPC in advancing these strategic priorities and related goals, offering their assistance and first-hand expertise in the development of practical frameworks, guidance, and resources.