TORONTO -- A Pickering long-term care home has suffered a possible privacy breach, Ontario's minister of long-term care said Saturday.
Minister Merrilee Fullerton posted on Twitter that there is “a possibility of a significant privacy breach regarding individual personal health (information)” at Orchard Villa, where more than 60 COVID-19 deaths have been reported.
“Our government takes personal privacy very seriously, and we are continuing to monitor this situation closely,” she wrote.
A source tells CP24 that an employee of Orchard Villa allegedly took photos of residents’ health records.
Fullerton said she has been in contact with Pickering-Uxbridge MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy, who she said shared “feelings of frustration and sadness at this recent development.”
She said the facility has informed the Information Privacy Commissioner Office and other authorities about the apparent breach.
“My heart goes out to the residents and families during what is already a very difficult time,” Fullerton wrote.
According to Durham Region Public Health, 66 residents of Orchard Villa have died of COVID-19 since an outbreak was declared at the facility in March.
