City cleared by privacy commissioner in relation to pipe warranty mail-out

The city says it has received the all-clear from the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario after the agency received a complaint about mail-outs offering insurance-like protection for pipes.

Residents raised several concerns with the letters they started receiving last winter from Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC). The company was offering homeowners protection for their water and sewer pipes that connect to the city's pipes. The letters had the City of Ottawa's logo, making it unclear why the city was trying to get homeowners to buy warranties.

As it turned out, council in 2016 approved a protective plumbing program that offers homeowners an optional service to protect their pipes. The city chose SLWC because it was part of a program used by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

Last May, city staff accepted responsibility for the poor communication after receiving an earful from councillors.

The privacy commissioner received a complaint alleging the city disclosed the names and mailing addresses to SLWC in violation of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The city said it didn't provide that information to the company.

(The city) does not appear to have collected, used, or disclosed the personal information of residents ...

According to City Clerk Rick O'Connor, who briefed council by memo on Friday, the privacy commissioner found that the city “does not appear to have collected, used, or disclosed the personal information of residents in relation to the contractual arrangement with SLWC, and, second, that SLWC was not acting as an agent of the City.”