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Please note, entry to our office is by appointment only. We encourage you to communicate with us by phone or email. If you wish to provide us with hard copies of materials, please send them by mail, fax, courier or by dropping them off in the mail slot outside our office door. Our full contact information is available here: Contact Us.
Due to a postal strike, mail delivery to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner via Canada Post may be delayed for the foreseeable future. Please contact us if you have any questions about delivering communications to the OIPC: 902-424-4684 / Toll Free (in N.S.): 1-866-243-1564. You may use one of the alternative options below for delivering communications to the OIPC:
a) Fax communications to: (902)424-8303
b) Email communications to: oipcns@novascotia.ca
c) Courier or hand-deliver communications to: 502-5657 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, NS B3J 3R4 (place in the mail slot outside our office door)
Office of the Information and Privacy Commisssioner discontinues on-request consultations on access to information and privacy matters
Please note that, effective November 21, 2025, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (“OIPC”) no longer provides on-request consultations for public bodies and health custodians on access to information matters or privacy matters.The OIPC must focus its resources on conducting timely reviews of access to information decisions and privacy complaints; this is our core mandate.
The OIPC has recently begun to proactively reach out to public bodies and health custodians to offer advice on significant Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs). We are focused on PIAs of new programs involving the collection, use or disclosure of particularly sensitive personal information (ex. health information), or significant changes to how existing programs manages personal information.
A new Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act will come into force on April 1, 2027. The new law creates new privacy-related obligations for municipalities, and an expanded oversight role for the OIPC. The OIPC hopes to participate in any briefings/training sessions for municipalities regarding their new responsibilities. However, OIPC will not take the lead on the implementation of the new law, or on advising municipalities. We will continue to publish guides on specific issues of interest to public bodies including municipalities, and will be reviewing and updating our existing guides prior to the implementation of the new Act.
Novemeber 20, 2025
NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release
Canada’s privacy regulators call for strong protection of children’s privacy in the development and use of educational technologies
As Canada marks National Child Day, privacy authorities from across the country have issued a joint resolution to help ensure that privacy rights and the best interests of children are paramount in the development, procurement, and deployment of educational technologies (EdTech). The resolution was unanimously adopted at the annual meeting of Canada’s information and privacy regulators in Banff, Alberta, on October 8, 2025, hosted by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta. Read more...
Related documents:Novemeber 5, 2025
Canada’s Information Regulators call on their respective governments to promote a more robust information ecosystem
Gatineau, Québec, November 5, 2025 – In an era where false and misleading information can spread rapidly and influence public discourse, Canada’s Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Information Commissioners and Ombuds (FPT Information Regulators) are urging governments and public institutions to modernize access to information laws, proactively disclose records, and ensure the integrity of public information. Read more...
Related documents:
BANFF, ALBERTA (October 10, 2025) – Federal, provincial, and territorial information and privacy commissioners and ombuds with responsibilities under access and privacy laws have concluded their annual meeting in Banff, Alberta. The two-day meeting, hosted by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, included discussions on a broad range of privacy and access to information issues, with a strong focus on emerging issues related to new technologies, such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity risks and the protection of online data. See more...
Information and Privacy Commissioner releases Review Report 25-11
The Commissioner also determined a secondary issue related to the redacting of a witness’ name and signature; the individual was not an employee of the public body or the third party and therefore the Commissioner supports the decision to redact their name and signature. See more...
New Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
September 26, 2025
The Information and Privacy Commissioner (“the Commissioner”) welcomes the provincial government’s decision to table legislation today that amends the province’s access and privacy laws. The Commissioner and OIPC staff have not yet completed a comprehensive review of the bill introduced today, however the Commissioner is able to offer several preliminary comments. While the Commissioner is encouraged by, and welcomes, many aspects of the proposed legislation, he has several concerns and recommendations. See more...
HALIFAX – Today, David Nurse, Nova Scotia’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, released the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s (OIPC) annual report for 2024-2025. See more...
Information and Privacy Commissioner releases Review Report 25-10
The applicant requested paper records and video footage from the Department of Justice (public body). The footage relates to incidents the applicant was involved in at a provincial court building. The public body withheld the video footage in full, citing s. 15(1)(e), s. 15(1)(i), and s. 15(1)(k) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPOP). The public body also withheld names of public body staff contained within the paper records under s. 15(1)(e).
The Commissioner finds that the public body did not meet its burden to demonstrate that it was authorized to withhold the video footage in full under s. 15(1)(e), 15(1)(i) and 15(1)(k) of FOIPOP. Further, the public body did not meet its duty to sever. The Commissioner recommends that the public body reconsider its decision, process and sever the video records, and release the unsevered portions of the video footage to the applicant.
He also finds that the public body did not meet its burden to demonstrate that it was authorized to withhold the names of public body staff in the paper records under s. 15(1)(e) of FOIPOP and so he recommends that information be released to the applicant. See more...
Information and Privacy Commissioner releases Review Report 25-09
The Commissioner has determined that this matter may be dealt with via an abbreviated review report. The legal issues raised by “deemed refusals” have been exhaustively canvassed by my predecessor in Review Reports 23-06 and 23-09, among others. See more...
Information and Privacy Commissioner releases Review Report 25-08
The applicant submitted a request for records related to bridge inspections, including reports, photos, and maps. After receiving a fee estimate, the applicant asked the public body to waive the fees on the basis that the records related to a matter of public interest. The public body denied the request for a fee waiver, and the applicant asked the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia (OIPC) to conduct a review.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia (the Commissioner) finds that the public body did give the applicant a fair opportunity to be heard but did not provide adequate reasons for its decision to the applicant.
The Commissioner recommends that the public body reconsider the fee estimate it issued to the applicant. The Commissioner also recommends that the public body, in cooperation with Information, Access and Privacy Services (IAP Services), review its internal policies and procedures for assessing public interest fee waiver requests. See more...
Information and Privacy Commissioner releases Review Report 25-07
The applicant asked the Department of Justice (the public body) for copies of correspondence between the governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, regarding legislation that would provide government with immunity from class action lawsuits. The public body applied s. 16 (solicitor-client privilege), s. 12(1)(a) (intergovernmental affairs) and s. 12(1)(b) (information supplied in confidence) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPOP) to the withheld records.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia (the Commissioner) finds that the public body appropriately applied s. 16 to most of the responsive records (pages 1-217) and lawfully exercised its discretion to withhold them. The Commissioner makes no recommendation regarding the withheld records on pages 1-217.
The Commissioner finds that the public body did not appropriately apply s. 12(1)(b) to the withheld information on pages 219-232.
The Commissioner finds that the public body appropriately applied s. 12(1)(a) to some information found on pages 219-232 of the responsive records. However, the Commissioner recommends the public body reconsider its decision to withhold pages 219-232 under s. 12(1)(a) in full within 45 days of this review report. See more...
HALIFAX - Information and Privacy Commissioner Tricia Ralph has provided her submission to the internal working group reviewing Nova Scotia's access and privacy laws. Read more...
Department of Justice mandate includes amendment to Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Premier Houston's September 14, 2021 mandate letter to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice includes a requirement to amend the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPOP) to give order-making ability to Nova Scotia's Information and Privacy Commissioner: September 14, 2021 Ministerial Mandate - Department of Justice and Attorney General
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner is willing to provide input and guidance to the government as it moves ahead with this amendment to FOIPOP, or any other important amendments the OIPC has recommended to modernize Nova Scotia's outdated access to information and privacy laws.
New/Updated Publications Now Available
Guide to Application to Disregard
The OIPC's Role - What the OIPC Can and Cannot Do
Protecting Patient Information in Practice and Beyond
Need-to-Know Instead of Circle of Care
Know Your Rights: Missing Records?
Tips for Addressing Employee Snooping