uh oh :lol:
OPP seizes BlackBerry in deleted e-mail investigation
TORONTO - OPP officers investigating the alleged destruction of government records in the office of former premier Dalton McGuinty have seized a BlackBerry belonging to his chief of staff.
OPP Det. Const. Andre Duval obtained court permission on Feb. 4 to conduct a search of the government-issued BlackBerry used by David Livingston during a period when the Ontario Liberals were under fire for cancelling two gas plants at a potential loss of up to $1.1 billion.
In the search warrant, which has not been proven in court, Duval alleges Livingston deliberately used the device to avoid creating a permanent government record which could be exposed publicly through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
“Do you have a pin for DL? For the ultra confidential ultra secret stuff,” an assistant deputy minister said in an e-mail to Livingston’s assistant secretary in February 2012.
“yes I do Bell BB pin# 28655023,” she replied.
Duval noted that on Nov. 9, 2012, Livingston sent an e-mail to senior Liberal aide Laura Miller regarding the collapse of the Elliott Lake Mall.
“LOL! This one will never get the Double Delete,” Livingston’s e-mail says, according to court documents.
Police allege that Livingston believed a “double delete” would permanently erase an e-mail.
Two Ontario PC MPPs asked OPP to investigate after the province’s privacy commissioner concluded that government documents, such as e-mails, were illegally destroyed.
At the time, a government committee had formally requested all documents that would explain why the Ontario Liberals decided to cancel the gas plants in Mississauga and Oakville and whether they conspired to keep the actual cost from the public.
OPP have already alleged in previous court documents that Miller’s partner, Peter Faist, was brought in by Livingston in the dying days of the McGuinty regime in 2013 to wipe staff hard drives in the premier’s office.
The OPP search warrant, which was obtained by the Ottawa Sun, says that 632,118 files were erased from 20 computers, including 118,348 from Livingston’s hard drive.
“I believe that possibly contentious communications were deleted from government servers,” Duval said.
Investigators were also unable to find messages concerning the gas plants because the communications went through the BlackBerry, he said.
OPP documents allege that there are grounds to believe that Livingston committed a criminal “breach of trust” by seeking an administrative password and access to government computers for Faist.
Livingston could not immediately be reached for comment Friday, but through his lawyer and in person at a legislative committee has denied any wrongdoing.
“There are absolutely no grounds to believe any offence occurred, much less one in which Mr. Livingston was involved,” his lawyer Brian Gover has stated.
No charges have been laid in the investigation.
McGuinty has not been the subject of the police investigation, and has previously said he was unaware that any records were deleted.
Zita Astravas, a spokesperson for Premier Kathleen Wynne, said the investigation involves a former chief of staff to the former premier.
“Premier Wynne implemented significant recordkeeping reforms including mandatory staff training and new legislation passed in December,” she said.
OPP seizes BlackBerry in deleted e-mail investigation | Ontario | News | Toronto
OPP seizes BlackBerry in deleted e-mail investigation
TORONTO - OPP officers investigating the alleged destruction of government records in the office of former premier Dalton McGuinty have seized a BlackBerry belonging to his chief of staff.
OPP Det. Const. Andre Duval obtained court permission on Feb. 4 to conduct a search of the government-issued BlackBerry used by David Livingston during a period when the Ontario Liberals were under fire for cancelling two gas plants at a potential loss of up to $1.1 billion.
In the search warrant, which has not been proven in court, Duval alleges Livingston deliberately used the device to avoid creating a permanent government record which could be exposed publicly through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
“Do you have a pin for DL? For the ultra confidential ultra secret stuff,” an assistant deputy minister said in an e-mail to Livingston’s assistant secretary in February 2012.
“yes I do Bell BB pin# 28655023,” she replied.
Duval noted that on Nov. 9, 2012, Livingston sent an e-mail to senior Liberal aide Laura Miller regarding the collapse of the Elliott Lake Mall.
“LOL! This one will never get the Double Delete,” Livingston’s e-mail says, according to court documents.
Police allege that Livingston believed a “double delete” would permanently erase an e-mail.
Two Ontario PC MPPs asked OPP to investigate after the province’s privacy commissioner concluded that government documents, such as e-mails, were illegally destroyed.
At the time, a government committee had formally requested all documents that would explain why the Ontario Liberals decided to cancel the gas plants in Mississauga and Oakville and whether they conspired to keep the actual cost from the public.
OPP have already alleged in previous court documents that Miller’s partner, Peter Faist, was brought in by Livingston in the dying days of the McGuinty regime in 2013 to wipe staff hard drives in the premier’s office.
The OPP search warrant, which was obtained by the Ottawa Sun, says that 632,118 files were erased from 20 computers, including 118,348 from Livingston’s hard drive.
“I believe that possibly contentious communications were deleted from government servers,” Duval said.
Investigators were also unable to find messages concerning the gas plants because the communications went through the BlackBerry, he said.
OPP documents allege that there are grounds to believe that Livingston committed a criminal “breach of trust” by seeking an administrative password and access to government computers for Faist.
Livingston could not immediately be reached for comment Friday, but through his lawyer and in person at a legislative committee has denied any wrongdoing.
“There are absolutely no grounds to believe any offence occurred, much less one in which Mr. Livingston was involved,” his lawyer Brian Gover has stated.
No charges have been laid in the investigation.
McGuinty has not been the subject of the police investigation, and has previously said he was unaware that any records were deleted.
Zita Astravas, a spokesperson for Premier Kathleen Wynne, said the investigation involves a former chief of staff to the former premier.
“Premier Wynne implemented significant recordkeeping reforms including mandatory staff training and new legislation passed in December,” she said.
OPP seizes BlackBerry in deleted e-mail investigation | Ontario | News | Toronto
