What is a privacy complaint?

A privacy complaint is any concern or dispute anyone might have with the WCB’s handling of the information we collect to carry out the business of the WCB.  This includes suspected privacy breaches.  A privacy breach is the disclosure of personal information, either accidental or intended, that is not authorized by the Workers Compensation Act or the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.  The WCB’s Privacy Coordinator is responsible for receiving privacy complaints and ensuring they are investigated.

Making a privacy complaint will not impact any decisions made in relation to present or future claims for compensation benefits or assessment matters related to the person making the complaint.

What is the WCB’s process for making a complaint?

1. If you have a concern or dispute with the WCB’s handling of information, you or your authorized representative should contact the WCB’s Privacy Coordinator. This can be done by telephone, by standard mail, or by fax.
   
   Mailing Address:
   WCB of Nova Scotia, 
   Attention: Privacy Coordinator,
   PO Box 1150,
   Halifax, NS B3J 2Y2
   Phone: 902-491-8920    
   Fax: 902-491-8916 
    
2. The Privacy Coordinator will contact you about your privacy complaint as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days of receiving your complaint.
3. The Privacy Coordinator or their designate will investigate the complaint.  To do this properly, the Privacy Coordinator may contact you for more information.  They may also need to get in touch with other people to fully understand your complaint.  This may require the Privacy Coordinator to mention your name and some of the details of your personal information as part of the investigation.
4. If your privacy complaint is about the conduct of one or more of our staff members, the Privacy Coordinator will discuss the matter with the staff members(s) during the investigation.
5. At the end of the investigation, the Privacy Coordinator will let you know the results of the investigation.
6. If you have concerns with the investigation findings, or the way in which the investigation was carried out, you may contact the WCB’s Client Relations Officer.  The Client Relations Officer is required to follow policy 10.3.1R – Quality of Service Delivery and will review the WCB’s investigation of your privacy complaint to determine if the WCB followed appropriate processes in handling your complaint. The Client Relations Officer will contact you with the results of their review.

What if I am not satisfied with the WCB’s handling of my privacy complaint?

If you are not satisfied with the WCB’s investigation of your privacy complaint, you may make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner. The contact information is: 

Mailing Address:
Box 181
Halifax, NS
B3J 2M4 

Phone: (902) 424-4684
No Charge-Dial:1-866-243-1564
Fax: (902) 424-8303