Law: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, SNS 1993 c 5 ('FOIPOP'). Please note that FOIPOP applies to public bodies only. Private organisations are regulated at the federal level by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act 2000 ('PIPEDA').

Regulator: Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Nova Scotia ('OIPC')

Summary: As is the case in several provinces, Nova Scotia does not currently have a separate, provincial level, private sector data protection law. FOIPOP obliges public bodies to ensure the protection of individuals' personal privacy, to adopt policies of accountability, openness, and transparency, and to provide a right of access to information. In addition, the Personal Health Information Act ('PHIA') sets out several data protection requirements for health information that are considered to be generally similar to PIPEDA. The OIPC has released tools and guidance that focus on FOIPOP and PHIA, and in particular emphasise breach notification requirements under PHIA.