Patient Privacy
Privacy is a legal requirement, a professional standard and an ethical obligation. At Ornge, we believe that privacy is critical to building and maintaining strong relationships with patients, who trust that their care teams will use their Personal Health Information to provide them with safe and effective care.
Health Information Custodian
Ornge collects Personal Health Information to treat and transport patients. This information is primarily collected from patients and their health care providers, including through digital means by connecting to eHealth Ontarioʼs electronic health record system.
Ornge only uses or discloses personal health information with consent or as permitted or required by law. When a patient is transported to a hospital or facility by an Ornge ambulance, Ornge’s care team creates a record of Personal Health Information documenting the care provided. This Personal Health Information is disclosed to the hospital or facility so that their staff can continue treating the patient.
In addition, we have policies, procedures and technology in place to ensure your information is secure while in our care.
Prescribed Person operating Critical Care Information System
In addition to the Personal Health Information Ornge collects to treat and transfer patients, Ornge will soon be entrusted with the operation of the Critical Care Information System.
The Critical Care Information System is an IT application which collects Personal Health Information from Ontario hospitals for the purpose of facilitating and improving the provision of health care. More specifically, it provides near-real time data on every patient admitted to level 3 and level 2 critical care units in Ontario’s acute care hospitals and consultation data for funded Critical Care Response Teams. The system also provides information on bed availability, critical care service utilization and patient outcomes. The system provides an important medium for monitoring and managing the province’s critical care resources more effectively, and for highlighting opportunities to implement quality improvement initiatives at individual hospitals and across regions.
CritiCall, a division of Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, has been the caretaker of this application and the Personal Health Information in it for many years. As of November 1, 2025, CritiCall is integrating with Ornge, and Ornge will become the new caretaker of this application.
Access to Personal Health Information
Patients and their legal representatives can request copies of Personal Health Information by following the instructions found here.
More Information
If you have questions about privacy at CritiCall, more information can be found here or you can contact:
Email: privacy@criticall.org
Telephone: (905) 308-3681
Mail: CritiCall Privacy Manager
1725 Upper James Street
Suite 200
Hamilton, ON
L9B 1K7
If you have questions about privacy at Ornge, please contact Legal and Privacy Department at:
Email: privacy@ornge.ca
Telephone: 647-428-2016
Mail: Ornge
Attention: Legal and Privacy Department
5310 Explorer Drive
Mississauga, Ontario
L4W 5H8
Personal Information Privacy
In addition to patients’ Personal Health Information, Ornge also collects Personal Information as permitted or required by applicable law. This Personal Information is primarily collected from our employees, pilots and certified paramedics, and only occasionally from others to support specific programs and initiatives. Requests for Personal Information will be accompanied by a notice or consent explaining what information is requested and the purpose for which it will be used. Ornge only uses or discloses Personal Information with consent or as permitted or required by law. In addition, we have policies, procedures and technology in place to ensure your information is secure while in our care.
As a principle of privacy, Ornge collects as little Personal Information as necessary for the purpose. For example our
Ornge Base Hospital Medical Directives mobile application does not collect users’ Personal Information.
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
The Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) provides a broad right of access to certain of Ornge’s records, including those of the Ornge family of companies. FIPPA also requires institutions to keep personal information confidential.
Ornge is committed to transparency with its patients and community. Under FIPPA interested persons may make requests for General Records and/or Personal information.
- General Records include corporate information and documents relating to administrative, operational functions and financial decisions of Ornge.
- Personal Information includes information which may include address, sex, age, education and other recorded information about an individual.
If you cannot find what you are looking for, or have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Ornge Privacy Officer at privacy@ornge.ca.
General Records Request Process
All Ornge General Records may be requested through FIPPA, and will be provided, subject to applicable legislated exemptions and exclusions. Under FIPPA, you also have the right to request access to, and correction of, your "personal information" held by Ornge. Ornge may also release Personal Information to the Requester to whom the records pertain or another authorized recipient, again subject to the legislated exemptions and exclusions.
How to Make a Formal Request for Records/Information
To make a formal request, please follow these steps:
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Complete an Ornge Freedom of Information Request Form.
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Be as specific as possible to the type of information you are seeking. Failure to be clear may delay the processing of your request or increase the cost of providing the materials.
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An application fee of $5 must accompany all requests made under FIPPA. Please make cheques payable to Ornge.
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Forward the completed Form and the $5 application fee to the Freedom of Information Office at Ornge (address provided below). If you are requesting personal information, or applying to correct personal information please include proof of identification.
ATTN: Freedom of Information Office
Ornge
5310 Explorer Drive
Mississauga ON
L4W 5H8
Note: If you are unable to fulfill any of the above requirements due to a disability, please contact the Freedom of Information Coordinator at Ornge to arrange for an accommodation. Additional fees may be charged for duplication of records, search time, preparation of records for release and postage charges.
Fees
Section 57(1) of FIPPA permits Ornge to charge certain fees when responding to a request. Depending on the scope and size of your request, a fee may be involved, in which case you may be provided with an estimate and additional information so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed.
Fees that may be applicable to you include, but not limited, to the following:
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Fee
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Price
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Administration Fee
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$5 / request
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Photocopying
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$0.20 / page
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Disks/CDs
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$10 / disk
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Manual Search
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$7.50 / 15 minutes
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Record Preparation
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$7.50 / 15 minutes
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Computer Programming
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$15 / 15 minutes if we need to develop a program to retrieve information
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If the estimated cost to complete your request is $100 or more, Ornge will require a 50 per cent deposit before performing further work on your request. Ornge may waive all or part of the fees related to the costs of processing your request if it is fair and equitable to do so.
Time Frame
FIPPA requires us to respond to a request within 30 calendar days of receipt. However, in limited circumstances this time period can be extended. We will notify you in writing if an extension is required.
Appeal Process
All decisions made by Ornge, may be appealed to the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner ("IPC").
For more information, please visit the IPC's website www.ipc.on.ca.