PIPEDA and document collection for Ontario RCICs

Answers are general operational information only — not legal, tax, regulatory, clinical, privacy, immigration, or professional advice. Requirements vary by matter, client, and regulator.

Frequently asked questions

Does PIPEDA apply to RCIC practices in Ontario?

Commercial consulting is typically PIPEDA-covered federal private-sector privacy law. You still have CICC confidentiality (indefinite) on top. Confirm with privacy counsel for your structure.

Is Canadian hosting required by PIPEDA?

PIPEDA is about comparable protection and transparency for transborder flows, not a simple 'must be in Canada' slogan. Hosting in Canada still reduces a common client and CICC-complaint talking point versus default US Drive.

Does using Hivi-X make my practice PIPEDA compliant?

No. You remain responsible for consent, retention, access requests, vendor due diligence, and breach response. Hivi-X provides technical safeguards (Canadian servers, encryption, scoped guest access).

Is emailing a passport PIPEDA-friendly?

Unencrypted email is a weak safeguard for highly sensitive ID. Prefer guest-link upload. See email-is-not-collection in this folder.

How long should I keep immigration documents?

CICC file retention is at least six years after closure; confidentiality is indefinite. Your privacy policy should say what you keep and why. Hivi-X does not auto-purge per CICC clocks.

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