GNWT Facing 20 Million Dollar Lawsuit over Privacy Breaches

September 4, 2019 148 Comments

The Government of the Northwest Territories is facing a 20 million dollar representative action lawsuit over it’s number of privacy breaches.

Steven Cooper, a former resident of the NWT and lawyer based in Edmonton is one of the litigators representing residents whose personal health records have been breached.

Cooper says this is similar to a class action lawsuit.

“There’s a claim for 10 million dollars in damages for some compensation for some of the individuals impacted by the latests breach of confidential health information breached, and 10 million dollars in punitive damages that are also being claimed. It’s all started and time will tell where we end up,” Cooper told CKLB this week.

Cooper says resources are being shared between his firm Cooper Regal, Guardian Law and James H. Brown & Associates that are working independently on the N.W.T. breaches.

In one breach, patients confidential information about mental health, drug use, and detailed notes from counseling were found in the Fort Simpson dump in December 2018.

Cooper adds he hopes the lawsuit will also serve as a deterrent, and for the GNWT to take people’s privacy more seriously.

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