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Fwd: "A MASSIVE BREACH OF PRIVACY"
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>From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" <[email protected]>
[Breitkreuz is an elected member of the Canadian Parliement (Reform Party)]
>To: "'firearms digest'" <[email protected]>
>Subject: "A MASSIVE BREACH OF PRIVACY"
>Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 12:07:23 -0500
PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun
DATE: 98.11.25
EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1 / Front
BYLINE: Jeff Lee
SOURCE: Vancouver Sun
Feds fear data sold rather than shredded: Huge cache of sensitive
government documents uncovered in Burnaby.
The federal government believes tonnes of highly-sensitive material,
including tax records, unemployment insurance claims and parole records
were sold intact by a Lower Mainland company that was supposed to shred
and recycle the material, The Vancouver Sun has learned.
Federal agencies found more than 110 tonnes of unshredded files in a
Burnaby warehouse last July that were being offered for sale by <Golden>
West Document Shredding (1995) Inc.
But they have been unable to determine what happened to nearly another
200 tonnes they know the company was given by National Archives, the
federal agency responsible for disposing of classified and
non-classified documents no longer required by the government.
And the amount of confidential material sent to <Golden> West that
wasn't shredded may actually be much higher -- as much as 600 to 700
tonnes -- said sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, because the
company also obtained documents directly from a number of other
government departments .
The RCMP's National Security Intelligence Service, which investigated
the security breach, believes all documents were sent to pulp mills for
recycling, even though they weren't shredded, Sergeant John Ward said.
``We're quite sure that no national security issues were compromised, at
least from our investigation. But I can tell you that we are not happy
about this at all,'' he said, adding that the issue involved a massive
breach of privacy.
But John Billings, a regional director of Public Works, said he can't
say for certain the material didn't fall into the hands of people who
might use it for improper purposes.
Sources said confidential information such as social insurance numbers
has a commercial value in criminal circles and can be used for such
purposes as obtaining false identification.
According to a public works memo obtained by The Sun, <Golden> West
apparently sold the material unshredded because it could get a higher
price per tonne than if it had to tear it into unreadable strips as
required under the terms of its contract.
Les Billett, the owner of <Golden> West, denied Tuesday he sold any
confidential documents intact. He said his company couldn't handle the
volume of material the government provided.
Billett said only a small part of the 110 tonnes seized came from the
government. He said most of it was commercial office paper and estimated
that only 20 or so tonnes was government records.
But Ward said police confirmed all of the material seized came from the
government, and that it was indeed being offered for sale unshredded.
Many of the nearly 22,000 boxes sent for destruction contained what the
government calls ``designated'' or protected confidential information
originating from Revenue Canada, Citizenship and Immigration, Human
Resources, National Parole Board, Indian and Northern Affairs, and a
number of other departments.
The RCMP was also among the agencies whose confidential documents were
found in the tonnes of material seized, he said. Most were low-level
security records from various detachments, as well as the E Division
headquarters, he said.
<Golden> West's contract called for the company to obtain, shred and
recycle 400 tonnes of material from the National Archives warehouse in
Burnaby over a one-year period. It would also get up to 450 tonnes of
material directly from other agencies.
In return, <Golden> West was supposed to pay the government $30.17 for
every tonne it took. Records show public works received at least $7,282,
meaning <Golden> West paid for about 241 tonnes of documents, Billings
said.
But lading bills at the federal storage centre show <Golden> West
actually received 292 tonnes, not including any material obtained
directly from other agencies.
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