The Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories is investigating after a Fort Simpson man found a stack of medical records at the dump last week.

Randal Sibbeston told CBC North last week that he found a bankers box full of records at the Fort Simpson dump, which contained sensitive information about patients' substance use and mental health.

After the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) was made aware of the privacy breach, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) of the Northwest Territories was notified, a from the territorial health authority stated on Saturday.

Elaine Keenan Bengts, information and privacy commissioner, wrote to Sibbeston asking him to turn over the files to the .

SA国际影视传媒淯nder the Health Information Act, I have the authority to collect documents when I have an investigation ongoing,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淪o I commenced an investigation and asked if (Sibbeston) would turn them over to the as my agent.SA国际影视传媒�

transported the 118 files to Yellowknife and Keenan Bengts now has them in her possession.

SA国际影视传媒淚 got them over the weekend and we are currently trying to figure out where they came from, how they got to where they were, all of those good things,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

At this point, that information isnSA国际影视传媒檛 clear from the records themselves, as many of them are decades old. Keenan Bengts hasnSA国际影视传媒檛 been able to determine if the 118 files represent one individualSA国际影视传媒檚 health information or numerous individuals, but said itSA国际影视传媒檚 likely the files are for separate individuals. The next steps will be figuring out a way to give notice to those affected.

SA国际影视传媒淢y immediate role was to get possession of the records, I have those now,SA国际影视传媒� said Keenan Bengts.

SA国际影视传媒淭he next thing we need to do, through the records SA国际影视传媒� and I will be working with the department of health on this SA国际影视传媒� is figure out what happened to them. Where they came from, why they were in Fort Simpson to begin with and how they made their way from wherever they have been in storage for the last almost 20 years, because most of them are quite dated records and into the dump in Fort Simpson at this point in time,SA国际影视传媒� she said

At this point, itSA国际影视传媒檚 not clear whether the department of health or the territorial government is responsible.

SA国际影视传媒淲e donSA国际影视传媒檛 know and we wonSA国际影视传媒檛 know for some time. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 a lot of digging to do on this one,SA国际影视传媒� said Keenan Bengts. Once the commissioner has all that information, she will make recommendations to prevent this kind of breach in the future.

The government will probably have an update within the next few weeks, but the IPCSA国际影视传媒檚 investigation will take at least six months.

Keenan Bengts is still investigating after the last breach in June, when a laptop containing the health information of up to 80 per cent of the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 residents was stolen from a vehicle in Ottawa.

SA国际影视传媒淏reaches happen all the time, weSA国际影视传媒檙e all human,SA国际影视传媒� said Keenan Bengts. SA国际影视传媒淎nd these particular records were clearly created before the Health Information Act came into effect. I think that the department of health is making a concerted effort. And I can tell you for sure that they are very concerned about all of these breaches that have arisen from the government of the Northwest Territories.SA国际影视传媒�

Despite their frequency, breaches like this one are not unique to the Northwest Territories.

SA国际影视传媒淭here are abandoned medical records all over the country and my counterparts across the country are dealing with similar instances,SA国际影视传媒� said Keenan Bengts.

SA国际影视传媒淪o this will play out as it plays out. But hopefully, the result will be that we have an improved system in the end.SA国际影视传媒�