Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas has called a special meeting of city council for Tuesday, September 8, after raising concerns about what he described as a potentially serious privacy breach involving the City.
In a statement Friday, Farkas said the decision to convene the meeting followed consultations with members of council and the City Solicitor.
“I have reasonable grounds to believe that a serious privacy breach may have occurred, posing potential safety risks to City personnel and significant financial or legal exposure,” Farkas said.
The mayor said council will receive immediate legal advice during the special meeting about the potential consequences of the incident, the City’s obligations and what steps may be necessary to protect employees and taxpayers.Calgary mayor calls special council meeting over potential serious privacy breach
Few details about the suspected breach have been made public, including what information may have been disclosed, how the potential breach occurred or how many people could be affected.
The mayor’s statement also does not identify any individual as being responsible.
The City of Calgary defines a privacy incident as a loss of, unauthorized access to, or unauthorized use of personal information. Its Access and Privacy office is responsible for investigating privacy incidents and advising City departments on the handling and protection of personal information.
Council and its committees are permitted to discuss certain confidential matters behind closed doors when information falls under exceptions to disclosure. The City says decisions themselves are not made during closed meetings.
Farkas said the September 8 meeting is intended to allow council to determine what action may be required in response to the situation.
The Global Press Network will continue to follow developments as additional information becomes available.
Here is the released statement.
About the Author
