Public notice of breakin at Whitehorse Victim Services office Government of Yukon

pMenuppThe Government of Yukon is reporting a breakin that occurred at the Whitehorse Victim Services office sometime between the evening of March 15 and the morning of March 16 2024ppThe Whitehorse detachment of RCMP M Division is investigating the breakin and the Department of Justice is following the appropriate procedures to respond to the privacy breach affecting confidential files that contain sensitive personal informationppConfidential files and other items have been accessed Individuals who have obtained services through Victim Services may be affected as may other individuals who may be referenced in victims files It is still unclear the extent to which confidential information may have been compromised Files that may have been accessed often include individuals names contact information and birthdates as well as information about legal proceedings Some such files contain additional personal information as do some cell phones that were stolenppThe Victim Services office in Whitehorse will be closed on Monday and Tuesday March 18 to 19 This will support Victim Services staff in being able to complete an inventory of records and determine whether any specific individuals were particularly affected In cases where staff are able to ascertain that a specific file has been accessed and that this raises a risk of significant harm Victim Services staff will make best efforts based on contact information available to us to reach out directly to particularly impacted individuals where there is a significant risk of harmppThe trust our clients place in us to obtain our services safely and confidentially is one of the things we value most and we deeply regret the impacts this crime may have had on anyone who has accessed services or whose personal information is included in our filesppWe understand that that those potentially affected may have serious concerns about their personal information having been accessed and how this information could potentially be used to cause significant harm such as initiating unwanted contact attempting identity theft or attempting to cause reputational damageppThe phone line for Victim Services will be staffed as normal during the building closure and people can contact 8676678500 Staff are available to discuss your specific questions and provide available support as appropriate For example staff are able to assist with covering the financial cost of changing phone numbers for anyone whose contact information has been affected by this privacy breach and has concerns about their safety Our top priority at this time is responding to the specific concerns of those who may have been affectedppThe stolen cell phones have been disabled The Department of Justice will review security protocols and other measures to strengthen the security of information held in Victim Services offices to protect those who rely on being able to safely and discreetly access supports suited to their unique needsppFor individuals who may wish to discuss concerns about their rights under the Access to Information and Privacy Act you can contact the office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner with questions at infoyukonombudsmanca or to make a complaint at intakeyukonombudsmancappIn accordance with the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act the following sections of the Act are provided for ease of reference for anyone wishing to contact the Information and Privacy Commissionerpp37 Privacy complaintppAn individual may if they reasonably believe that a public body has collected used or disclosed their personal information in contravention of this Part make a complaint to the commissioner by filing the complaint in accordance with section 90pp90 Filing complaintppWe deeply regret that this crime will cause serious concerns for members of our community We are taking steps to ensure the safety of our clients and are actively cooperating with the RCMPs criminal investigation to determine who is responsible and bring them to justiceppMinister of Justice TracyAnne McPheeppLaura Seeley
Cabinet Communications
8673327627
lauraseeleyyukoncappFiona Azizaj
Communications Justice
8673321978
fionaazizajyukoncapp 2024 Government of Yukonp