Defensible Information Destruction

Ministries need to develop defensible information destruction processes that meet requirements established in the:  

• Information Management Act and information schedules approved under the Act, 
• Managing Government Information Policy, and 
• Records and Information Management Manual (under revision). 

Use the following guide to learn how to set up a defensible information destruction model for your ministry and use it to complete destructions.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Establishing an Information Destruction Model

1. Purpose
2. Why it is Important to Have a Ministry Destruction Authorization Model
3. Setting up a Ministry Destruction Authorization Model
   1. Step One: Get Started 
   2. Step Two: Define Roles and Responsibilities
   3. Step Three: Role-Based Training
   4. Step Four: Determine the Ministry Documentation Standards
   5. Step Five: Document and Communicate the Model
   6. Step Six: Regularly Review Model Effectiveness

Part 2: Completing Destruction

4. Destruction Requirements, Types and Frequencies 
   1. Requirements for Defensible Destruction
   2. Types of Destruction
   3. Frequency of Destruction
5. Destroying Digital Information
   1. Terminology
   2. When to Destroy Data
   3. Requirements for Destroying Data
6. Destroying Redundant Source Information (RSI)
   1. Migrated and Digitized Information
   2. RSI General Resources
7. Defensible Destruction Templates

Part 1 – Setting Up a Model

This guide sets out how an information destruction process may be established within a ministry. Information destruction processes support accountability, access, privacy, and security requirements. Learn more...

Part 2 – Completing Destruction

Learn how to administer destruction for different types of information, including: 

• physical and digital records,
• data, and
• redundant source information that has been digitized or migrated.

Learn more...