Coming soon to a health sector near you: An advance look at the new Ontario Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).

This is Part I of a two-part article that provides a broad overview of the new health sector privacy legislation in Ontario, and compares this legislation to personal health legislation in other provinces. In Part I, we discuss the objectives, structure and scope of, as well as the substantive rights and obligations created by, the Ontario Act. In Part II, which will appear in the Fall 2004 issue, we will discuss the administrative obligations under the Ontario Act, as well as the provisions relating to enforcement and remedies. We will also discuss the approach to the protection of personal health information taken by other provinces, including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which have already enacted legislation that is similar in many respects to the Ontario Act.