Social Insurance Numbers were originally introduced in 1964 for the purpose of providing an individual a file number to record that individual's contributions and entitlements for the Canada/Quebec Pension Plans, Old Age Security and Unemployment Insurance. In 1967 it also became a file identifier for Revenue Canada. Over the years, the use of Social Insurance Numbers has expanded both inside and outside of government.
A Social Insurance Number (SIN) is considered to be personal information of an individual.
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. F-25 requires when personal information is collected directly from an individual, the person be informed of the purpose for which the information is being collected and the specific legal authority for the collection.
Athabasca University (AU) needs to review each and every collection of personal information to define the purpose(s) for the collection and under what legal authority it is collecting this information. This applies when collecting an individual's SIN.
AU cannot collect an individual's SIN for the purposes of:
AU will only collect an individual's SIN for payroll purposes (Income Tax, Unemployment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan). AU may disclose an individual's SIN to a third party (e.g., bank or funding organization) if the individual's consent is obtained.
Legislated uses of the SIN include:
Other authorized uses of the social insurance number include:
Office of the University Secretariat, July 2006
Updated May 30 2014 by Office of the University Secretariat
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