When the federal government initiates new legislation that affects small businesses it can sometimes be frustrating to get to know everything that you ought to know. APEX Alberta is here to help.
On Dec. 14, Sarah Bowman, partner at Bolton Bishop Bowman law firm in Medicine Hat, will be our special event guest to present an information session regarding the Digital Privacy Act that was passed in Canada in 2015.
The DPA is an amendment to Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act (PIPEDA), which outlines important information on mandatory breach reporting, notification and record keeping requirements that, until November 2018, have never been consistently enforced by the federal government.
Data breaches have consumers worried and have had a substantial impact on the economy. In addition to the obvious ramifications of a breach, such as lost data and revenue, one of the many new requirements of the DPA stated by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is that all Canadian organizations should “keep and maintain a record of every breach of security safeguards involving personal information under its control.” These new mandatory reporting requirements will have an impact on businesses across Canada. Many small business owners are unclear as to what this will mean for them.
At December’s event, being held at Medicine Hat College, Bowman will answer questions that many business owners and entrepreneurs are asking:
What is considered personal information? How will Canadian Digital Privacy Act (DPA) requirements affect my business? What is a security breach? Who needs to be notified? How soon should notifications of a breach happen? What is proper record keeping in the event of a breach?
Bowman will clarify the privacy commissioner’s authority as it relates to audits and fines for non-compliance. She will provide examples of data breach scenarios and highlight the types of violations that could result in possible fines.
If you are a small business owner, you will want to attend this event to ensure that you know the steps that you need to take regarding the DPA to prepare now.
APEX, the Regional Innovation Network (RIN) collaborates to put their collective resources together to support and improve the development of innovation and technology among small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in our region.
For more information about this event, or how our programs can help your business, please call Elizabeth Blair at 403-528-2824.
Elizabeth Blair is the Regional Innovation Network Coordinator for APEX Alberta. APEX Alberta supports the growth of innovative and technologically-oriented businesses in Southeast Alberta. APEX Alberta is a collaborative initiative between three core service providers: Community Futures Entre-Corp, Medicine Hat College and Alberta Innovates.
