Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, announced that the province will be strengthening privacy protections for Albertans.

Glubish said he hopes the move towards stricter data privacy frameworks will provide Albertans with more trust in their government, and confidence with how they manage their data. 

“Albertans should have the strongest privacy protections in Canada. Every service we provide, every technology we build, every tool we deploy to modernize government systems and services will adhere to the principles in these frameworks” his statement read. 

“My job is to make sure that this data is accurate, protected, and used for legitimate purposes for the benefit of all Albertans” he added. 

The UCP minister’s statement comes after a 2022 report from Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) that indicated there were nearly 2000 data privacy breaches between 2010 – 2021. 

In 2019, for example, a former Alberta Health Services clerk was charged for illegally accessing the health records of 81 people hundreds of times at the Michener Centre in Red Deer. The former employee was later fined $8,000. 

Glublish indicated on Friday that minor penalties as such could soon be increased. One of the measures the UCP minister will introduce over the next 18 months will be legislation pushing for stricter punishment on those who violate data privacy laws. 

Online portal to track data usage 

Albertans will also be able to see how their online data is used through the government’s creation of a new portal. Within this portal, every Albertan will be able to see who is accessing their data, and why they are using it. 

The option to file a complaint will also be available for those who believe their online data is being abused. 

“The privacy of Albertans is non-negotiable, and come hell or high water, I’m here to protect it,” Glubish said.