Select Language:
Please answer the following questions to determine how we can help you.
The Public Interest Commissioner investigates matters of public interest.
The alleged wrongdoing must have a broader public interest component and must not solely relate to alleged wrongs perpetrated against an individual complainant.
Further information on the types of wrongdoingWrongdoing is outlined in section 3 of the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act and is considered actions that are unlawful, dangerous to individuals or the environment, or the gross mismanagement of public funds, public assets, the delivery of a public service or employees. that may be investigate is available on the Commissioner’s website: Alberta's Public Interest Commissioner.
You may also wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
The Public Interest Commissioner will not review or investigate matters that are currently before the courts or under investigation by a law enforcement agency.
If the matter has been disposed of by the court or an investigation by a law enforcement agency has ended and your concern has not been addressed, you may wish to contact the Public Interest Commissioner’s office for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659.
The Designated Officer is the individual responsible for receiving and investigating complaints from employees under your organization’s Public Interest Disclosure procedure (also referred to as a Whistleblower Policy, or Safe Disclosure Policy).
If you are uncertain whether you reported your concern to the designated officer, you may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
Click Next to Continue Assessment Questions.
Based on your responses, you may wish to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing form to the Public Interest Commissioner.
Please ensure to indicate that you’ve made a disclosure to your designated officer when making your submission. You may access the disclosure of wrongdoing form here:
You may access the complaint form here:
The Public Interest Commissioner is not required to investigate a disclosure if the wrongdoing was discovered more than 2 years ago; however, the Commissioner has discretion in this regard depending on the circumstances.
You may wish to contact the Public Interest Commissioner’s office for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
If you are uncertain which organization your concern relates to, you may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
The Canadian Military, is not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern. Complaints pertaining to the Canadian Military may be directed to the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman. Click on the link below for further information:
Cities, towns or other Municipal Government or Agencies, are not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern. If a citizen feels they were treated unfairly when accessing a municipal program or service, they may contact the Alberta Ombudsman's Office. Click on the link below for further information:
Currently, daycares are not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern. The Government of Alberta can investigate child care providers under the provisions of the Early Learning & Child Care Act. Click on the link below for further information:
Federal Government Departments are not jurisdictional under the Alberta Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern. Employees of Federal Government Departments who wish to report wrongdoing in their workplace may contact the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada. Click on the link below for further information:
Members of Parliament of Canada, are not jurisdictional under the Alberta Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern.
Municipal police departments, such as the Edmonton Police Service and Calgary Police Service, are not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern.
Complaints regarding a municipal police service may be submitted to the chief of police or the relevant police commission. You may wish to contact the relevant police service for information on the process.
Currently, Private Career Colleges are not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern. Complaints pertaining to Private Careers Colleges may be directed to the Ministry of Advanced Education. If you are a student, you can submit a complaint to Alberta Advanced Education's Private Career Colleges branch. Click on the link below for further information:
Private companies or businesses are not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and therefore the Public Interest Commissioner cannot examine your concern.
The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP is an independent agency that reviews complaints made by the public about the on-duty conduct of RCMP members. The Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (OPSIC) has jurisdiction to receive disclosures of wrongdoing from employees of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other federal public sector organizations, under the Public Servants Protection Disclosure Act. Click on the link below for further information:
Privately operated care homes and supportive living accommodations are not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act.
The Continuing Care Licensing Office has the authority to investigate complaints about continuing care accommodations or services you or someone else is receiving. Click on the link below for further information:
You may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
If there is an imminent risk to life, health or safety of individuals, contact emergency services.
If the matter does not present an imminent risk, you may wish to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing form to the Commissioner’s office.You may access the disclosure of wrongdoing form here:
Concerns pertaining to employers not following employment standards rules, may be addressed through Alberta Employment Standards.
Click on the link below for further information:
If there is an imminent risk to the environment, contact the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas Environmental Emergency Response Line at 1-800-222-6514.
If the matter does not present an imminent risk, you may wish to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing form to the Commissioner’s office. You may access the disclosure of wrongdoing form here:
Based on your answers, you may wish to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing form to the Commissioner’s office. You may access the disclosure of wrongdoing form here:
Concerns pertaining to grievances are more appropriately dealt with according to the procedures under the relevant collective agreement. The Public Interest Commissioner does not have mandate to investigate grievances under a collective agreement, or the management of those grievances.
Contraventions of an organization’s policies or procedures, on their own, do not constitute a form of wrongdoing to which the Act applies. The Public Interest Commissioner would therefore not investigate individual policy violations. Such issues are more appropriately addressed through internal compliance mechanisms or human resource processes.
A contravention of an organization’s code of conduct, on its own, does not constitute a form of wrongdoing to which the Act applies. The Public Interest Commissioner would therefore not investigate alleged violations of a code of conduct. Such issues are more appropriately addressed through internal compliance mechanisms or human resource processes.
Criminal offences are more appropriately addressed by a law enforcement agency within your jurisdiction. The Public Interest Commissioner will not investigate criminal offences and is required to report such offences to a law enforcement agency. You may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
The Public Interest Commissioner does not investigate disputes pertaining to employment contracts or agreements.
These concerns are more appropriately addressed under the provisions of the agreements. You may wish to seek legal advice in this regard.
If the child is in immediate danger, contact the police. If the child is not in immediate danger, click the link below for further information on how to report child abuse, neglect and exploitation:
If you are an employee of the public service and want to report wrongdoing in your workplace, you may wish to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing form to the Commissioner’s office. You may access the disclosure of wrongdoing form here:
The Public Interest Commissioner may investigate instances of gross mismanagement where there is a reckless or wilful disregard for proper management.
However, general concerns pertaining to staffing and workload, or disagreements with operational decisions, would not considered wrongdoing. Such issues may be addressed through employment agreements, collective agreements or other internal human resource management processes.
If you are uncertain about your concern, you may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
The Public Interest Commissioner does not investigate matters pertaining to the guardianship or custody of children.
Decisions pertaining to the custody and guardianship of children may only be addressed through the courts. You may wish to seek legal advice in this regard.
Concerns pertaining to child intervention decisions may be addressed either through a dispute resolution process or the decision can be appealed via the Ministry of Children and Family Services. Use the link below for further information:
The Public Interest Commissioner may not investigate allegations which are more appropriately dealt with by a different authority under the provisions of another statute. The Commissioner is also not a mechanism to appeal decisions made by another authority.
If your concern pertains to wrongdoing that you believe may not have been properly addressed by another authority, you may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
If you believe a decision by another authority was not administratively fair, you may with to contact the Alberta Ombudsman for advice. You may use the link for further information:
The Public Interest Commissioner is unable to intervene or review matters that are currently before the courts.
Concerns pertaining to the treatment of individuals within a correctional centre may be addressed with the centre director.
The Alberta Ombudsman investigates complaints about unfair treatment in the public sector, including adult correctional and remand centers. You may use the link below for further information:
If your concern pertains to conduct within the correctional centre that is unlawful or creates a danger to the life, heath or safety of individuals, you may wish to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing form to the Public Interest Commissioner. You may access the disclosure of wrongdoing form here:
The Alberta Human Rights Commission handles complaints about discrimination in Alberta, under the Alberta Human Rights Act. The Canadian Human Rights Commissioner handles complaints about discrimination by the federal government or federally regulated businesses.
These are the most appropriate authorities to address concerns pertaining to discrimination. Further information may be found here:
If you are uncertain about your concern or it relates to none of the above, you may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
The Commissioner is not required to investigate operational decisions that result from a balanced and informed decision-making process.
Disagreement with how an organization decides to utilize public funds may not equate to wrongdoing under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act. You may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
Based on your answers, you may wish to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing form to the Public Interest Commissioner.
You may access the disclosure of wrongdoing form here:
The Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act is not intended to address individual instances of bullying, harassment or intimidation perpetrated against employees.
These concerns may be addressed through respectful workplace policies, or policies to deal with harassment in the workplace. You may wish to contact your organization's human resource representatives for information or advice.
Prior to beginning an investigation into allegations of this type, the Act requires that the Public Interest Commissioner must be satisfied that all other mechanisms to address the bullying harassment or intimidation, have been used or considered first.
These include human resource processes, processes under a collective agreement, or internal policies to deal with bullying and harassment.
Criminal offences are more appropriately addressed by a law enforcement agency within your jurisdiction.
The Public Interest Commissioner will not investigate criminal offences and is required to report such offences to a law enforcement agency. You may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
The Public Interest Commissioner would not investigate these issues. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms contains provisions that anyone who believes their rights or freedoms have been infringed or denied, by any level of government, can seek remedy through the court. This is the proper legal mechanism to address alleged contraventions of the Charter. Further information may be found here:
The Information & Privacy Commissioner is the appropriate authority to address alleged contraventions of the provincial information and privacy laws including the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Health Information Act.
Further information may be found here:
The Alberta Human Rights Commission handles complaints about discrimination in Alberta, based on the Alberta Human Rights Act. The Canadian Human Rights Commissioner handles complaints about discrimination by the federal government or federally regulated businesses. These are the most appropriate authorities to address concerns pertaining to discrimination. Further information may be found here:
If you are a person in care, family member, or advocate for a person in care who is in immediate danger, call the police.
If the person in care is not in immediate danger, you may wish to contact Protection for Persons in Care (PPC). PPC is the authority that investigates complaints regarding abuse of an adult receiving care or support services from publicly funded facilities or service providers. You may click the link below for further information:
If you are an employee of a publicly funded facility and wish to report wrongdoing in your workplace, you may wish to submit a disclosure of wrongdoing form to the Commissioner’s office. You may access the disclosure of wrongdoing form here:
The Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act does not apply to privately operated care homes.
If the person in care is not in immediate danger, you may wish to contact Protection for Persons in Care (PPC). PPC is the authority that investigates complaints regarding abuse of an adult receiving care or support services from publicly funded facilities or service providers.
You may click the link below for further information:
If you are a person with a developmental disability, family member or advocate for a person with a developmental disability who is in immediate danger, call the police.
If the person is not in immediate danger, the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program has an Abuse Prevention and Response Protocol. Click the link below for further information:
If you are uncertain, you may wish to contact the office of the Public Interest Commissioner for advice by emailing info@pic.alberta.ca or calling 1- 855-641-8659 between 8:15 am and 4:00 pm.
Alberta is a party to the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA). If a vendor believes that a specific procurement was conducted in a manner that is inconsistent with the obligations of trade agreements, that vendor may use the Bid Protest Mechanism to challenge the decision of the precuring entity. Click on the link below for further information:
A disagreement or general dissatisfaction with spending decisions by government would not be a form of wrongdoing the Public Interest Commissioner would investigate.
If you have general concerns regarding spending decisions by government, you may wish to share your concern with your Member of the Legislative Assembly.
Walk-in clinics and private medical clinics are not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and the Public Interest Commissioner would be unable to review your concern.
If your concern relates to the conduct of a physician or surgeon, you may address your concern with the Alberta College of Physician’s and Surgeons under the provisions of the Health Professions Act. Click on the link below for further information.
Private medical laboratories are not jurisdictional under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act, and the Public Interest Commissioner would be unable to review your concern.
Concerns pertaining to the conduct or competency of a teacher or teacher leader (principal/superintendent) may be addressed by the Alberta Teaching Profession Commission under the provisions of the Education Act.
Use the link below for further information:
The Act requires that all other mechanisms to address the bullying, harassment and intimidation must be used or considered first.
Individual patient concerns may be addressed through various legislative mechanisms:
