Definitions of findings and other dispositions under the Privacy Act

Reviewed: August 2018

On this page, you will find definitions for the most common findings issued by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada after completing an investigation under the Privacy Act.

Well-founded

The government institution failed to respect the Privacy Act rights of an individual.

Not well-founded

The investigation uncovered no or insufficient evidence to conclude that the government institution violated the complainant's rights under the Privacy Act.

Resolved

After an investigation, the OPC helped negotiate a solution.

Conditionally resolved

When an investigation is completed following an access complaint, the investigator may make recommendations and come to an agreement with the institution about what actions are to be taken and by when. With respect to time limit complaints, the investigator and institution may reach an agreement about a work plan and firm commitment date by which it will respond to a complainant’s request before the file is considered conditionally resolved. In both cases, the complainant will be advised that the complaint has been conditionally resolved pending agreed upon actions being completed by the institution within the established timeline. The OPC can reopen an investigation if the complaint resolution conditions are not met by the institution.

Discontinued

The investigation was closed before all the allegations were fully investigated. A case may be discontinued for various reasons. For example, the complainant may no longer be interested in pursuing the matter or cannot be located to provide additional information critical to reaching a conclusion.