Latest news with #ClaudiaChender
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
NDP calls for greater accountability in wake of Nova Scotia Power cyberattack
There are concerns customers could be on the hook to pay for the recent Nova Scotia Power cyberattack. Nova Scotia Power may have weathered the cyberattack that compromised its systems, but the political and financial fallout continues, along with calls for accountability. At the legislature's public accounts committee on Wednesday, NDP Leader Claudia Chender criticized the utility for what she described as a failure to protect Nova Scotians. 'Legally, Nova Scotia Power is the victim, but actually it's Nova Scotians who are suffering harm,' Chender said. The utility's president and CEO Peter Gregg confirmed that while the company has cyber insurance, there is still no estimate of the total cost to repair and restore its systems. 'We do not have an estimate of the full cost of restoration at this point,' Gregg said. 'That is an ongoing part of our investigation.' That uncertainty raises the possibility that ratepayers could bear some of the cost. Chender and others said that should not be the case. Insurance industry experts say demand for cyber insurance is rising across Canada, and when large-scale claims are filed, premiums tend to rise. 'All sorts of things could impact what your premiums look like going forward,' said Amanda Dean, vice-president of Ontario and Atlantic at the Insurance Bureau of Canada. 'Especially the claims for the pool you're paying your premium into.' Chender argued that existing legislation doesn't go far enough to protect consumers after such breaches. She said the NDP plans to introduce legislation that would enable class-action lawsuits in Nova Scotia, similar to legislation already in place in British Columbia. 'That way, an organization like Nova Scotia Power can actually be held liable for this kind of breach, which right now is very difficult to do,' she said. Chender also said the utility's offer of two years of free credit monitoring for affected customers is inadequate. 'They should be offering five,' she said. 'There should be the ability to have a free credit freeze.' Nova Scotia Power said it's continuing to investigate the data breach, along with provincial officials and the federal privacy commissioner. The province's auditor general may also get involved, though any potential audit is still in the early stages. Claudia Chender Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender speaks to reporters at Province House following the speech from the throne and opening of the legislature in Halifax on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Darren Calabrese) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
NS Power CEO, staff questioned over data breach that saw 280,000 customers' data stolen
Nova Scotians have lost trust in the province's largest electric utility, provincial politicians said Wednesday during a heated committee meeting that raised tough questions about the recent ransomware attack on Nova Scotia Power. The cybersecurity breach gave thieves access to personal and financial data belonging to 280,000 ratepayers – about half of the utility's customers. Members of the public accounts committee grilled Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg and two other senior staff members, asking them how the breach happened and what the company will do to protect ratepayers from financial harm. 'We understand it is very concerning, and we're working hard to address customer issues and to continue to strengthen our systems as we work to restore and rebuild,' Gregg told the committee. Hackers may have stolen up to 140,000 social insurance numbers in NS Power database breach By the time the meeting was over, however, the executives had very little new information to share. 'We have, as far as we understand, 140,000 Nova Scotians who have had their social insurance numbers stolen, and those people are furious,' NDP Leader Claudia Chender told the committee. Gregg said the company, a subsidiary of Halifax-based Emera Inc. EMA-T, identified unusual activity on their servers on April 25, but they later determined the cyber-thieves had accessed the system as early as March 19. The utility has since sent letters to customers informing them the stolen data may include their names, birth dates, e-mail addresses, home addresses, customer account information, driver's licence numbers and, in some cases, bank account numbers and social insurance numbers. The cyberattack affected almost half of the utility's 525,000 customers. Gregg confirmed the company had previously collected social insurance numbers to authenticate customers' identities in cases where multiple customers had the same name, but he said that practice has stopped. The utility now requests only the last three digits of each customer's social insurance number, which is not stored. Still, Chender pressed utility executives to explain why Nova Scotia Power continues to store the full social insurance numbers it had previously collected. But they declined to say, citing an ongoing investigation. 'I don't have an answer for you today,' Gregg said. Chender said Gregg's response was disappointing. 'With stronger safety protocols, Nova Scotians would be protected,' she said. The NDP leader went on to ask how affected ratepayers would be compensated for potential losses. Again, Gregg did not directly answer, saying the utility is offering customers a two-year subscription for credit monitoring, which might be extended. Progressive Conservative member Brian Wong said Nova Scotians deserve better. 'We have Nova Scotians that aren't just scared, they're angry,' he told Gregg. When asked by multiple committee members if Nova Scotia Power would commit to covering the costs of the breach internally rather than handing the bill to ratepayers, Gregg again avoided a direct answer. He said Nova Scotia Power's cybersecurity insurance would likely cover many expenses, but he said the utility doesn't yet know the cost of the breach. 'Until we get further into this investigation and determine total cost, I can't give you a yes or no answer.' Liberal member Derek Mombourquette said Nova Scotia Power's first step toward rebuilding public trust should be promising not to pass on costs to consumers who have long complained about soaring electricity bills and frequent power outages. 'There is no trust with Nova Scotia Power right now,' Mombourquette said after the meeting. 'I don't believe what we heard in the committee today has done any more to reassure the customers.' As the meeting concluded, Chender put forward a motion to request the province's auditor general investigate the breach, which was adopted. Meanwhile, the federal privacy commissioner has already launched an investigation. Philippe Dufresne issued a statement last week saying he started the probe after receiving complaints about the security breach in April.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Nova Scotia NDP says province too secretive, must release environmental racism report
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender speaks to reporters at the provincial legislature in Halifax, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's Opposition NDP called on Premier Tim Houston's government Friday to release a report about the province's long history of environmental racism, saying it's a matter of accountability. An eight-member panel was expected to submit its report to Houston's government in December 2023. Justice Minister Becky Druhan, who is also responsible for the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism, did not answer Thursday when pressed by reporters to explain why the government is sitting on the report. Druhan also wouldn't answer when asked whether she had seen the panel's recommendations, saying its work predated her appointment as minister. NDP Leader Claudia Chender told reporters Friday that Druhan's evasiveness is part of a 'concerning pattern' by a government that is acting as if it's above accountability. 'People are noticing this government's aversion to transparency,' said Chender. 'Having a majority (government) is not a blank cheque to keep Nova Scotians in the dark.' As another example, she pointed to the government's failure to publicly disclose it had agreed earlier this year to sign a $170-million federal infrastructure deal. As for the environmental racism panel, it was appointed in June 2023 to look at how racism affects a community's natural environment. The idea for the panel came from NDP caucus member Suzy Hansen, who proposed its creation in an amendment to climate change legislation that was passed in the fall of 2023. Hansen said she was 'disappointed and frustrated' to hear that Druhan had refused to provide any information about the panel's report or its recommendations. She said the report's release would mean a great deal to the province's Black and indigenous communities. 'This is an opportunity for the government to show that they, in good faith, are going to do the right thing -- and they didn't do any of that by hiding the information,' Hansen said. Examples of environmental racism in Nova Scotia include the toxic dump and landfill that operated for decades near the historic Black communities of Shelburne and Lincolnville. As well, the cleanup continues at Boat Harbour, N.S., near the Pictou Landing First Nation, where a once pristine body of water served for decades as an effluent lagoon for a now defunct paper mill. The NDP leader's news conference came a day after Chender called for more transparency around the government's push to encourage uranium exploration in three areas of the province with known deposits. Chender was reacting to comments made by Natural Resources Minister Tory Rusthon, who confirmed Thursday that he has the power under the Minerals Resources Act to compel private property owners to allow mineral exploration on their land. But he said that option has barely been used 'over decades.' 'My understanding is, yes, it can be (used), but right now we are encouraging landowners and the researchers to have the conversation, ' said Rushton. 'They'd have to prove to me that they've had the negotiations before we'd ever intervene.' Opponents of uranium exploration, however, have drawn attention to the fact that Rushton used the act earlier this year to allow an Australian company to explore for lithium deposits without the permission of landowners in southwestern Nova Scotia. 'Landowners are very concerned about this,' Chender said Thursday. 'I think we need more clarity.' By Keith Doucette This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Nova Scotia mum on why it won't release findings of environmental racism panel
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender speaks to reporters at Province House in Halifax on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government is not releasing recommendations from a panel tasked with examining environmental racism in the province — and it isn't saying why. Justice Minister Becky Druhan repeatedly avoided giving a reason under repeated questioning by reporters today following a provincial cabinet meeting. Druhan did say the government is committed to addressing issues of equity and racism, and she said she believes the panel's work will 'inform' those efforts. The eight-member panel was appointed in June 2023 to examine how racism affects a community's natural environment, and it was expected to submit recommendations by the end of that year. The panel was created as the result of an amendment to climate change legislation that was passed in the fall of 2023. Opposition NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it was 'disheartening' that the government has sat on the findings for more than a year and she said the panel's report should be released to the public. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
CBC
29-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
N.S. Liberals call for emergency meeting on Nova Scotia Power ransomware attack
Politicians are demanding action following the Nova Scotia Power ransomware attack, with the Liberals calling for an emergency meeting with the utility's executives. Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said Thursday the matter is an urgent one considering the personal information of 280,000 customers has been compromised. Mombourquette said Nova Scotians deserve answers and the utility's executives should appear before the all-party public accounts committee to provide them. "This is an opportunity for Nova Scotia Power to speak publicly on what took place and explain to Nova Scotians — as [Nova Scotia Power] asks for more money on their rates — what happened," Mombourquette told reporters in Halifax. Nova Scotia Power confirmed last week it was the victim of a ransomware attack and that hackers who stole data published it on the dark web. The roughly 280,000 customers it has sent letters to warning about the attack represents more than half of the utility's customers in the province. The president of Nova Scotia Power said no ransom has been paid and the utility is working with cybersecurity experts as it investigates the situation. In a letter to the chair of public accounts, Mombourquette requested that Nova Scotia Power leadership appear before the committee for an examination into what he has described as "one of the most significant privacy breaches in Nova Scotia's history." NDP Leader Claudia Chender said the cyber attack is "scary" and another reminder people need to take steps to protect their personal information. She is in favour of a comprehensive examination of what happened. "We absolutely support a deeper probe from government into how this happened, how it is being dealt with, and making sure it never happens again," Chender said. The chair of the committee, NDP MLA Susan Leblanc, agreed the matter is urgent "and deserves discussion." Committee members are now being asked to vote on whether to try to schedule a meeting for next week. It needs to be unanimous for that to happen. Nova Scotia Cyber Security Minister Jill Balser is encouraging those who received alerts from Nova Scotia Power to sign up for the credit monitoring service and do things like change passwords to their accounts. Balser said resources and help are also available from her department. "I want us to be a place where Nova Scotians can get that support," Balser said.
