Consumer information protection proposals under review in BC and Ontario

A huge amount of data flows through retail channels every day. The rise of e-commerce during the pandemic has accelerated this trend, but the rules governing consumer information are in various stages of review and reform nationally.

Recently, British Columbia resumed consultations on a review of its private sector privacy law, PIPA, requesting commentary on the proposed federal Canadian data privacy Bill C-11 as well as Europe’s data privacy statute, the GDPR. A summary and fact sheet on Bill C-11 and a GDPR guidance document are available here to inform members’ comments on the review of PIPA.

In Ontario, the government’s recently released Digital and Data Strategy proposes a new provincial data authority, an AI framework and new data governance standards among other items. The strategy appears to focus mainly on public sector data, but is general enough that RCC is monitoring potential impacts on retailers.

The government is and will be consulting on various elements of the strategy. Retailers are invited to contribute to RCC’s responses in B.C. and Ontario. Input for B.C. retailers is requested before May 31.