Alberta government confirms that client data may have been compromised by employee

Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, Kathleen Ganley, confirmed on Monday that client data from the province’s Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) may have been compromised by an employee.

The MEP collects court-ordered child support, spousal and partner support and “enforces as needed,” according to the program’s website.

Ganley said in a statement that she was “extremely disappointed” to learn the MEP client data may have been compromised in a potential privacy breach. “As this information came to my attention following a larger investigation by the Edmonton Police Service, a MEP employee is now under investigation by both Justice and Solicitor General department officials and the Edmonton Police Service,” she said, adding that the employee no longer has access to MEP client data.

Ganley said that she has directed department officials to contact clients who may have been impacted by the potential breach. “As the police investigation progresses, people whose information may be at risk will also be contacted by police,” she said in the release. “I have also directed my department to complete a thorough investigation into the operating procedures to determine how, and to what extent, government records may have been inappropriately accessed – and, importantly, what could be done to prevent this from happening again.”

The department has also informed the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.