Privacy & Security Services in Ottawa
End-to-end privacy and security support for organizations in Ottawa.
Ottawa occupies a unique position in Canada's privacy landscape. As the seat of federal government, it is home to a dense concentration of technology companies, government contractors, defence and intelligence suppliers, professional services firms, and associations — many of which hold sensitive personal data and operate at the boundary between public and private sector. Private-sector commercial activity in Ontario is governed by Canada's federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, PIPEDA, enforced by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Health information custodians in Ontario — hospitals, physicians, pharmacies and others in that defined class — carry an additional layer of obligation under Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act, PHIPA, with oversight by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
For Ottawa organizations that serve federal government clients, the compliance picture is more layered still. Government institutions themselves operate under the federal Privacy Act, not PIPEDA — but contractors and vendors handling personal information on a department's behalf may find that contractual requirements flow down and effectively import public-sector standards into a private-sector context. Understanding where your obligations begin and end requires careful analysis, not assumptions.
Privacy Horizon works with Ottawa-area businesses — technology vendors, professional services firms, health and wellness providers, associations — to build compliance programs grounded in what the law actually requires. We start with assessments: gap analyses that measure current practices against PIPEDA's ten fair information principles, and Privacy Impact Assessments for new systems or initiatives that involve personal data. Where your organization's work touches the health sector, we assess PHIPA obligations alongside PIPEDA.
Our guided compliance programs translate assessment findings into durable improvements — documented policies, vendor contracts, training for your staff, and the internal processes regulators expect to see. For organizations with ongoing compliance questions or those managing a complex portfolio of government and commercial relationships, our on-call senior advisory provides experienced guidance on the specific issues that arise.
Privacy & security regulation in Ottawa
Regulator: Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Ottawa businesses are governed by Canada's federal private-sector privacy law, PIPEDA, overseen by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Personal health information in Ontario is separately governed by the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), with oversight by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
PIPEDAPersonal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
PIPEDA is Canada's federal private-sector privacy law. It sets out ten fair information principles governing how organizations collect, use, and disclose personal information in the course of commercial activity. It applies wherever a province has not enacted substantially similar legislation — and, even in provinces that have (Alberta, British Columbia, Québec), it continues to apply to federally regulated businesses such as banks, airlines, and telecommunications, and to personal information that flows across provincial or national borders.
PHIPAPersonal Health Information Protection Act, 2004
PHIPA governs how health information custodians in Ontario — a defined, closed list of providers such as hospitals, physicians, and pharmacies — collect, use, and disclose personal health information. It establishes consent rules and individual access rights, and requires custodians to notify affected individuals at the first reasonable opportunity following a breach, and to report to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario in the circumstances the Act prescribes.
What Privacy & Security includes
From assessments to compliance programs and ongoing advisory, we provide the full range of privacy and security support organizations need under Canadian law.
Assessments
Privacy impact assessments, threat & risk assessments, and gap analysis.
Compliance Programs
Guided programs to reach and maintain compliance.
Advisory
On-call senior privacy and security guidance.
Training
Practical training for staff and leadership.
Government contractor and technology vendor compliance
Ottawa's technology and professional services sector frequently handles personal information under contracts with federal departments and agencies. While PIPEDA governs your commercial activity, government contracts often impose additional privacy obligations by reference. We help you understand what those obligations require in practice, assess your current controls against both the regulatory and contractual baseline, and build the policies and safeguards that satisfy clients and regulators alike.
Health sector organizations: PIPEDA and PHIPA together
Ottawa's health, wellness, and life sciences organizations sit in a two-law environment: PIPEDA for their commercial activities, and PHIPA for personal health information handled by defined custodians. We assess both frameworks as a unit, map your data flows to the correct regime, and help you build compliance programs that meet the higher bar that PHIPA sets without creating unnecessary duplication where PIPEDA is the only applicable law.
What's Protecting Your Business from the Next Threat?
Don't wait for a breach to expose your vulnerabilities. Let Privacy Horizon secure your data, ensure compliance, and build lasting trust.