Overview of the FIPPA Resource Manual

This Resource Manual will help officials of the Manitoba government and government agencies fulfill their responsibilities under The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act [called "FIPPA" or "the Act"]. It outlines the requirements of the Act and the regulations made under the Act, and recommends procedures and practices for compliance in a timely, effective, and consistent manner.

The organization of the Manual is similar to the structure of the Act:

Chapter 1: Introduction to FIPPA - outlines the background, purposes, organization and scope of the Act and key definitions used in the Act.

Chapter 2: Administration of FIPPA - outlines the roles and responsibilities of the various officials and offices involved in administering FIPPA, describes the Access and Privacy Directory, describes how to give notices under FIPPA, deals with exercising rights on behalf of another person under the Act and describes the liabilities, offences and penalties prescribed by the Act.

Chapter 3: Access Request Management - deals with processing requests for access to information, from the moment the application is received until the applicant is granted or denied access to records, including the preparation of copies and the collection of any fees.

Chapter 4: Exceptions to Access - explains the mandatory and discretionary exceptions to access [prepared by Civil Legal Services].

Chapter 5: Protection of Privacy - outlines the requirements for collection, correction, protection, use and disclosure of personal information, the review process involving the Privacy Assessment Review Committee and the handling of research requests involving personal information [prepared by Civil Legal Services].

Chapter 6: Powers and Duties of the Ombudsman - outlines the powers and duties of the Ombudsman to investigate and monitor compliance with the Act [prepared by Civil Legal Services].

Chapter 7: Complaints - describes the procedure for access and privacy complaints [prepared by Civil Legal Services].

Chapter 8: Reporting - outlines the various reporting requirements for public bodies.

The following conventions have been used throughout the Manual:

  • terms and phrases which are defined in FIPPA are identified in bold
  • a double line box indicates that a section or clause of FIPPA is reproduced
  • a single line box provides an example or instructions.