Privacy Complaint Process
Do you have a concern about how the WCB has handled your personal information?
You have the right to raise a privacy complaint if you believe your personal information was collected, used, or shared in a way that feels inappropriate.
Sometimes, a privacy complaint may involve a privacy breach. This occurs when personal information is accidentally or improperly disclosed, accessed, or shared without authorization. At other times, your concern may be about how your personal information is being handled, even if no breach has occurred.
In either case, the WCB takes your privacy concerns seriously. You can submit a complaint even if you are unsure whether a breach has taken place.
What is a privacy complaint?
A privacy complaint is a formal concern raised by an individual about how their personal information has been collected, used, or disclosed by the WCB. A complaint may or may not involve a breach.
It is important to note that privacy complaints must relate to matters recognized under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act or the Privacy Review Officer Act of Nova Scotia. If your concern is about the service you received or how your claim was handled, please get in touch with WCB’s Client Relations Officer instead.
What is a privacy breach?
A privacy breach is when personal information is collected, accessed, disclosed, or used without proper authorization—either accidentally or intentionally.
What happens when I make a privacy complaint?
The WCB has a Privacy Coordinator whose role is to protect personal information and ensure it is handled appropriately. The Privacy Coordinator will review your complaint and, if necessary, start an investigation.
Making a privacy complaint will not affect your compensation claim—now or in the future.
Steps for making a privacy complaint
1. Contact the Privacy Coordinator
If you have concerns about how WCB has handled your personal information, you or someone acting on your behalf should contact the WCB’s Privacy Coordinator. This can be done by telephone, standard mail, or fax. Contact here.
2. Initial Contact
The Privacy Coordinator will contact you no later than 30 days after receiving your complaint.
3. Investigation
The Privacy Coordinator—or someone acting on their behalf—will review your complaint. They may follow up with you for more information and may speak with WCB staff, service providers, or others involved. To fully investigate, your name and some personal details may need to be shared.
If your privacy complaint is about the conduct of one or more WCB staff members, they will be notified and given the opportunity to respond.
The purpose of the investigation is to determine:
- Whether a privacy breach occurred
- Whether privacy laws or internal policies were followed
- What corrective steps, if any, are required
4. Outcome
At the end of the investigation, the Privacy Coordinator will contact you to share the outcome and any actions that were taken as a result.
5. Internal Review
If you disagree with the outcome of the investigation or how it was handled, you can contact the WCB’s Client Relations Officer. The officer will review the WCB’s investigation to determine if it was handled properly and will contact you with their findings.
6. External Review
If you are still not satisfied, you can make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia.
Mailing Address:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia
PO Box 181
Halifax, NS B3J 2M4
Phone: 902-424-4684
Toll-Free: 1-866-243-1564
Fax: 902-424-8303