Elizabeth Denham told a committee of MLAs she needs more money next year because of sweeping reforms to the Privacy Act, which pave the way for Internet-based government services, new high-tech CareCards and widespread sharing of personal citizen data between ministries.. “I think $490,000 to fund a new team that will handle the work is the minimum amount required to undertake this new mandate,” she said. Her office budget this year is almost $5 million.
“The reality is that these types of massive data-linking initiatives, if not done with proper regard for protection of privacy or robust independent oversight, is a privacy disaster in the making,” Denham told MLAs. She added that B.C. is pushing into territory that no other provinces have covered. “Without new resources, we will not be able to deliver on those new responsibilities,” she said.
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