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Knowledge and Information Services
Knowledge and Information Services manages privacy, information management/information technology (IM/IT) policy and legislation, and intellectual property rights for the province.
There are four core areas of the branch:
IM/IT Strategic Policy: manages the development, maintenance and communication of government’s IM/IT strategic policy, including Chapter 12 of Government’s Core Policy and Procedures Manual, Identity Information Management Policy and the Open Information and Open Data Policy. The branch creates, modifies and communicates IM/IT policy to enable government to effectively deliver programs and services to citizens.
Intellectual Property Program: manages the licensing and sale of government-owned intellectual property, and is the point of contact for publishers, universities, libraries and other interested parties who seek permission to reproduce and distribute material in which the Province owns the copyright. The branch also administers the Naming Privileges Policy, which governs the naming of physical assets in recognition of financial or in-kind contributions.
Strategic and Operational Privacy: manages policy, standards and operational tools that flow from the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPP Act) and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). This area also reviews all provincial legislative proposals for privacy implications and advises public bodies and private sector agencies on privacy and access obligations, largely via the Privacy and Access Helpline. Privacy advisors assist ministries in completing Privacy Impact Assessments, Information Sharing Agreements, Research Agreements and contract-based Privacy Protection Schedules and provide advice and strategic privacy consulting services on large-scale programs to all areas of government. In addition this area also provides privacy training to ministries and the broader public sector and privacy and access training to organizations covered by PIPA.
Legislation: manages legislative and regulatory changes to the province’s IM/IT laws—the FOIPP Act, PIPA, the Document Disposal Act and the Electronic Transactions Act. In addition, this area prepares government’s submissions to privacy-related Special Committees, conducts consultations with a wide range of stakeholders on proposed legislative changes and monitors other jurisdictions to keep abreast of current legislative developments in the areas of access, privacy and IM/IT.
