The Attorney General is considering prosecuting two health professionals who snooped into former mayor Rob Ford’s medical records. If convicted, they could be fined up to $50,000.
Ontario’s privacy commissioner is calling for the two health professionals who allegedly snooped into former mayor Rob Ford (open Rob Ford's policard)’s medical records to face prosecution.
If the duo is convicted, this would mark the first successful prosecution under the province’s health privacy law, which came into force more than a decade ago.
The only other health privacy breach case to have reached the courts in Ontario’s history was effectively dismissed recently, after a judge ruled the delay getting to trial was unacceptable for the accused.
On Tuesday, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner told the Star it had referred two individuals to Ontario’s Attorney General for prosecution for inappropriately accessing Ford’s medical file at the University Health Network (UHN) in January.
The Ministry of the Attorney General, the sole authority with the power to launch a prosecution under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), said the government would not comment “unless and until a charge has been laid.”
If the two snooping health professionals are found guilty, they could be fined up to $50,000 each.
Ann Cavoukian, who served as Ontario’s privacy commissioner for 17 years, said it was “a big day” for privacy in Ontario — a province that was once a leader in health privacy laws, but now appears to be trailing behind other jurisdictions in this area.
The commissioner’s request for action sends a clear message to all health care professionals that it is not acceptable to “rifle through someone’s medical file just because you’re curious,” she said.
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Privacy commissioner calls for prosecution over Rob Ford privacy breach | Toronto Star
Ontario’s privacy commissioner is calling for the two health professionals who allegedly snooped into former mayor Rob Ford (open Rob Ford's policard)’s medical records to face prosecution.
If the duo is convicted, this would mark the first successful prosecution under the province’s health privacy law, which came into force more than a decade ago.
The only other health privacy breach case to have reached the courts in Ontario’s history was effectively dismissed recently, after a judge ruled the delay getting to trial was unacceptable for the accused.
On Tuesday, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner told the Star it had referred two individuals to Ontario’s Attorney General for prosecution for inappropriately accessing Ford’s medical file at the University Health Network (UHN) in January.
The Ministry of the Attorney General, the sole authority with the power to launch a prosecution under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), said the government would not comment “unless and until a charge has been laid.”
If the two snooping health professionals are found guilty, they could be fined up to $50,000 each.
Ann Cavoukian, who served as Ontario’s privacy commissioner for 17 years, said it was “a big day” for privacy in Ontario — a province that was once a leader in health privacy laws, but now appears to be trailing behind other jurisdictions in this area.
The commissioner’s request for action sends a clear message to all health care professionals that it is not acceptable to “rifle through someone’s medical file just because you’re curious,” she said.
more
Privacy commissioner calls for prosecution over Rob Ford privacy breach | Toronto Star
