Saskatchewan's privacy commissioner is investigating after hundreds of private medical records were found in an empty Yorkton office building last week.

The five large boxes hold 800 to 900 doctors' files of patients records, some dating back to 1993.

"We were surprised at the amount of information," information and privacy commissioner Gary Dickson told CBC.

The commissioner, whose office found out about the documents from an anonymous tip, is trying to find out who was last responsible for them. At least two doctors had their names on the files, he said.

Public trust in the health-care system relies on maintaining confidential information, Dickson said, adding that breaches in privacy can have devastating effects on people.

"It may be the woman who's had an abortion who is teaching in a faith-based school system. It may be the young accountant or professional who had a mental health breakdown in university. They don't particularly want their employer to find out about that," he said.

According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, health-care practitioners must retain information for six years. After that, files can be destroyed.

Penalties for breaching the Health Information Protection Act could include jail time or thousands of dollars in fines. The maximum fine is $50,000 for an individual and $500,000 for an organization.