Latest news with #Kosseim
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Watchdog slams Ford government for using code words and private emails to discuss the Greenbelt
Ontario's information and privacy watchdog has blasted staff in Premier Doug Ford's government for using code words and private emails to discuss the controversial Greenbelt land swap. As the RCMP continues its criminal investigation of the $8.28 billion Greenbelt scandal , Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim said the government's tactics 'frustrated' searches under freedom of information legislation and broke laws requiring proper records on official decisions. 'When key government decisions are not properly documented, when code words are used, or when records are stored in fragmented ways across personal and official systems, transparency suffers and with it public trust,' Kosseim wrote in her annual report released Thursday. 'Ongoing oversight remains essential to ensure corrective measures are not only implemented but sustained.' Code words included special project, SP-GB, GB and special project — GB, all of which made it difficult to search for documents using standard search methodology. Even worse, the use of G* as a code made it 'virtually impossible' to find records because the use of the asterisk returns any word starting with G, resulting in a deluge of records 'wholly impossible to sort through,' Kosseim noted. New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles said the dodgy practices are 'disturbing.' 'Today's report makes it clear that the Ford government broke the law while trying to cover up their Greenbelt carve-up,' she added in a statement. 'Deleting government records is illegal. The last time this happened, someone went to jail. Enough hiding. It's time for the premier to come clean,' she added in reference to the conviction of David Livingston , chief of staff to former premier Dalton McGuinty when natural gas-fired power plants were cancelled in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 election. Ford's office said in a statement the government has taken steps, as acknowledged in the report, to improve record-keeping, such as training sessions for staff on the principles of access to information legislation. 'We will continue to comply with our obligations under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act and the Archives and Recordkeeping Act.' Almost three years ago, Ford rezoned 7,400 acres of environmentally sensitive land in the 2-million acre Greenbelt around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area despite promising not to do so. A joint Star and Narwhal investigation in November 2022 found eight of the 15 parcels slated for housing construction had been bought up by developers after the Tories were elected in 2018 when the land was still protected. In August 2023, the auditor general and the integrity commissioner each released reports that revealed property owners with ties to Ford's Progressive Conservatives were 'favoured' in the rezoning process. A month later, against the backdrop of plunging poll numbers, Ford cancelled the land swap. The Mounties launched their criminal probe weeks later. With files from Robert Benzie
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Ford government obfuscated Greenbelt records through code words: commissioner
TORONTO - Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government broke its legal, record-keeping obligations amid its now-reversed decision to open up parts of the protected Greenbelt lands for housing, the province's information and privacy commissioner has found. Political staff were using code words to thwart document requests and left a surprisingly small paper trail for such a consequential policy, commissioner Patricia Kosseim wrote as part of her annual report. A number of freedom-of-information appeals her office received on Greenbelt-related requests revealed concerning, systemic issues, she wrote. 'The Greenbelt-related appeals offer a clear example and cautionary tale about the consequences of inadequate recordkeeping,' the IPC report said. 'When key government decisions are not properly documented, when code words are used, or when records are stored in fragmented ways across personal and official systems, transparency suffers, and with it, public trust.' In addition to issues previously highlighted by the auditor general around political staff deleting Greenbelt emails and using personal accounts, the government sometimes used code words in communications. Staffers sometimes referred to the Greenbelt project in messages as 'special project,' or 'GB,' or 'G*,' with references to G* being next to impossible to find. Those terms and their inconsistent use made it 'unduly difficult' to search for Greenbelt-related records, Kosseim wrote. 'Worse, the use of the code word 'G*' made it virtually impossible to find relevant records, given that the asterisk ('*') is used as a technical wildcard when conducting text searches, returning any word starting with 'G,' she wrote. That meant having to forego using the code word 'G*' as a search term, so some Greenbelt records may have been missed, Kosseim wrote. 'These practices not only violate legal record-keeping obligations, they also erode public trust in the integrity of government decision-making,' she wrote. 'The public has a fundamental right to know how and why decisions are made, especially those that impact protected lands like the Greenbelt. When records are obfuscated and made difficult, if not impossible, to find through evasive code words, transparency is compromised, and oversight becomes illusory.' But there was also a 'surprising' lack of Greenbelt documentation at all, which undermines transparency, Kosseim found. 'The near-total absence of decision-making documentation is particularly concerning, especially on a file as high profile and consequential as changes to the Greenbelt,' the report said. 'Despite evidence of meetings and discussions involving premier's office staff and ministry staff about the Greenbelt, there was very little documentation of what was said or decided in those conversations, aside from a few contemporaneous notes taken by ministry staff.' The RCMP is in the midst of an investigation into the government's decision to remove 15 parcels of land from the Greenbelt to remove 50,000 homes — a process the auditor general and integrity commissioner have found favoured certain developers. Premier Doug Ford's office says the government has taken several steps to strengthen record-keeping practices, including reminding staff to preserve and manage records in accordance with requirements and holding training sessions, and will continue to comply with legal obligations. NDP Leader Marit Stiles said 'enough is enough,' because the last time political staff were found to be deleting government records, one went to jail. A top aide to former premier Dalton McGuinty was convicted of illegal use of a computer relating to his destruction of potentially embarrassing documents about the Liberal government's costly decision to cancel two gas plants before the 2011 provincial election. Stiles said there should be consequences for these new failings. 'When will the premier finally answer for the disturbing culture of dodging accountability and disappearing records within this government?' she wrote in a statement. 'Today's report makes it clear that the Ford government broke the law while trying to cover up their Greenbelt carve-up.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Information and Privacy Commissioner urges government to close regulatory gaps and secure public trust
TORONTO, June 12, 2025 /CNW/ - Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, is urging the provincial government to address regulatory gaps to better protect Ontarians' personal information from cybersecurity attacks, commercialization of children's data, and the use of AI technologies without clear rules or oversight. The call to action is outlined in the 2024 annual report of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), From Vision to Impact: Five Years of Privacy and Transparency in a Digital Ontario, released today. The report also includes an appendix containing the IPC's findings and recommendations emerging from a series of access-to-information appeals involving the Greenbelt land removals. "In a world where trust is increasingly hard to come by, Ontarians deserve clear rules, strong safeguards, and full transparency from their institutions," said Commissioner Kosseim. "Whether it's how decisions are made, how personal data is used, or how emerging technologies are governed, our office will continue pushing for real accountability, because public trust is the foundation of a healthy democracy." Make AI and privacy laws work for OntariansThe IPC is urging the government to develop meaningful, enforceable regulations to address key legislative gaps left behind by Bill 194 that enacted the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act (EDSTA) and amended the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Specifically, the IPC is calling for: binding guardrails and independent oversight for public sector use of AI robust cybersecurity measures that protect Ontarians' sensitive information stronger and clearer protections for children's digital information amendments to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to match FIPPA changes. Failing to align the two laws risks creating confusion for institutions and frustration for Ontarians, who expect consistent privacy rights across all of Ontario's public sector Protect patient rights in a digital health systemEnsure that stronger accountability measures are embedded in the Personal Health Information Protection Act and that any future accompanying regulations strengthen meaningful access and protections for individuals' health information, rather than undermine them. Enabling greater access to the electronic health record system through digital health IDs may be a good thing, but not if the system lacks the necessary safeguards, clarity, and transparency. The IPC is calling on the government to retain individuals' full access rights to their health records, embed privacy-enhancing principles into the design of digital health IDs, and ensure strong governance and oversight, particularly when the provision of digital health services involves third-party vendors. Restore transparency and accountability in government decision-makingIn an appendix to its annual report, the IPC examines how the government handled a series of access to information requests related to the Greenbelt land removal decisions. The IPC identified several systemic issues, including: the use of personal devices and email accounts for government-related business, the use of code words that had the effect of frustrating FOI searches, the lack of proper documentation of key government decisions and poor information retention practices. These practices, if left unaddressed, risk undermining transparency and eroding public trust in government institutions. The IPC calls on the government to strengthen its record-keeping policies and practices, prohibit the use of personal accounts and devices for government-related business, regularly monitor for compliance, and codify a legal duty to document communications, decisions, and actions, as well as an explicit requirement for institutions to define and implement appropriate retention measures. The full 2024 annual report, including the Greenbelt appendix and key recommendations, is available on the IPC website. Additional resources: From Vision to Impact: Five Years of Privacy and Transparency in a Digital Ontario, 2024 Annual Report Statistical Report SOURCE Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario View original content to download multimedia: Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Cision Canada
2 days ago
- Health
- Cision Canada
Information and Privacy Commissioner urges government to close regulatory gaps and secure public trust Français
TORONTO, June 12, 2025 /CNW/ - Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, is urging the provincial government to address regulatory gaps to better protect Ontarians' personal information from cybersecurity attacks, commercialization of children's data, and the use of AI technologies without clear rules or oversight. The call to action is outlined in the 2024 annual report of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), From Vision to Impact: Five Years of Privacy and Transparency in a Digital Ontario, released today. The report also includes an appendix containing the IPC's findings and recommendations emerging from a series of access-to-information appeals involving the Greenbelt land removals. "In a world where trust is increasingly hard to come by, Ontarians deserve clear rules, strong safeguards, and full transparency from their institutions," said Commissioner Kosseim. "Whether it's how decisions are made, how personal data is used, or how emerging technologies are governed, our office will continue pushing for real accountability, because public trust is the foundation of a healthy democracy." Make AI and privacy laws work for Ontarians The IPC is urging the government to develop meaningful, enforceable regulations to address key legislative gaps left behind by Bill 194 that enacted the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act (EDSTA) and amended the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Specifically, the IPC is calling for: binding guardrails and independent oversight for public sector use of AI robust cybersecurity measures that protect Ontarians' sensitive information stronger and clearer protections for children's digital information amendments to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to match FIPPA changes. Failing to align the two laws risks creating confusion for institutions and frustration for Ontarians, who expect consistent privacy rights across all of Ontario's public sector Protect patient rights in a digital health system Ensure that stronger accountability measures are embedded in the Personal Health Information Protection Act and that any future accompanying regulations strengthen meaningful access and protections for individuals' health information, rather than undermine them. Enabling greater access to the electronic health record system through digital health IDs may be a good thing, but not if the system lacks the necessary safeguards, clarity, and transparency. The IPC is calling on the government to retain individuals' full access rights to their health records, embed privacy-enhancing principles into the design of digital health IDs, and ensure strong governance and oversight, particularly when the provision of digital health services involves third-party vendors. Restore transparency and accountability in government decision-making In an appendix to its annual report, the IPC examines how the government handled a series of access to information requests related to the Greenbelt land removal decisions. The IPC identified several systemic issues, including: the use of personal devices and email accounts for government-related business, the use of code words that had the effect of frustrating FOI searches, the lack of proper documentation of key government decisions and poor information retention practices. These practices, if left unaddressed, risk undermining transparency and eroding public trust in government institutions. The IPC calls on the government to strengthen its record-keeping policies and practices, prohibit the use of personal accounts and devices for government-related business, regularly monitor for compliance, and codify a legal duty to document communications, decisions, and actions, as well as an explicit requirement for institutions to define and implement appropriate retention measures. The full 2024 annual report, including the Greenbelt appendix and key recommendations, is available on the IPC website.
