By
Adam Simmons
· Last checked
October 2026
Google Meet is not compliant on your behalf, and Google doesn't claim it is. Its PHIPA page puts the work on the customer: "Google Cloud customers are responsible for their own due diligence" (Google Cloud, PHIPA (Canada)).
The detail that decides it for many Canadian practices is location. Google Workspace's data region choices are "the United States, European Union … or No preference" (Google Workspace, data regions). There is no Canadian region, on any plan.
The video options therapists usually weigh against Meet are Zoom, the video in Jane or Owl Practice, Doxy.me, and Rivet. Rivet is ours, so read this page with that in mind.
Does it matter that the data isn't in Canada?
PHIPA does not itself require data to stay in Canada. What it requires is that you, the custodian, "take steps that are reasonable in the circumstances" to protect personal health information (PHIPA, s. 12(1)).
It matters in two other places. Your College may have its own expectations about where client information is stored. Ontario's social work College, for example, tells registrants to "ensure that client information is stored in a jurisdiction where the privacy laws are consistent with Ontario laws or, where applicable, Canadian federal laws" (OCSWSSW, Interpretation 5.3.1). And if your privacy notice tells clients their records stay in Canada, a platform that can't do that makes the notice untrue.
What should I ask before using Meet for sessions?
Is this a paid Workspace account, and who else in it can see my meetings?
Which data region is set, and does my College accept it?
Are recordings and meeting chat turned off for client sessions?
What does my consent form tell clients about the platform?
Free Meet or Workspace?
A free Google account is a consumer service. A paid Google Workspace account adds admin controls, multi-factor sign-in and the data region setting, but the data region still isn't Canada.
What stays with you?
which account you run sessions from, and who else can access it
meeting settings: who can join, and recording off unless you have consent
what your consent form says about the platform and where data goes
your College's position on storage outside Canada
How does Rivet compare?
Your client joins a Rivet session from a link in their browser, with no Google account. Records are kept in Canada, and Rivet signs on as your agent under PHIPA in a data processing agreement you accept when you sign up. Measures, the whiteboard and EMDR open inside the session.
Stay with Meet if your College and your privacy notice are comfortable with storage in the United States or Europe, and video is all the hour needs.
About Rivet
Rivet is a Canadian practice line built for therapists — a separate number for calls, texts and voicemail, with video sessions and clinical tools in the same place. Your data stays in Canada, and transcription runs on Rivet's own hardware rather than a third-party AI service.
$29 CAD a month per practitioner for the practice line, or $65 with video sessions and clinical tools. Fourteen-day trial, no card.