General

Ontario gov’t won’t release employee Internet records

Journalists want report that shows which websites are accessed

Reporters at the Toronto Star have been repeatedly stymied in their attempts to access the monthly reports the Ontario government uses to monitor what its 60,000 employees are doing online. A mediation between The Ministry of Government Services and the Star has failed and the Information and Privacy Commission will now be forced to adjudicate. “Canada’s pretty much the worst advanced country that I know of when it comes to access to information,” Amir Attaran, a University of Ottawa law professor and an expert in access-to-information legislation told The Star’s Robert Cribb. “It’s abundantly clear that you’re being stonewalled by a government that has secrets to keep,” he added. The government argues that releasing the records could endanger the security of their information technology network.

Toronto Star

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.