Yukon gov't workers' union files complaint over privacy of medical information

The union that represents Yukon government workers has filed an official complaint with the territory's privacy commissioner.

The Yukon Employees Union (YEU) says it's worried about how the government handles sensitive medical information of its 3,700 workers.

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The YEU says it has also filed both individual and broader policy grievances on the issue with the Public Service Commission.

Union president Steve Geick says the government isn't sharing information with the union about how it protects worker's medical privacy.

"Basically what we wanted to find out was, when a department gets some medical information, where does it go, who has custody of it, how long is kept, that type of thing. We couldn't get a straight answer from anybody," Geick said.

He also says the union has grave concerns about personal files being sent through government fax machines that may not be secure. 

"That's one of the reasons that we initiated the privacy commissioner ... because nobody seems to be able to tell us where documents may have gone.

"How many times did it happen that we don't even know about, and where are those medical records now?" 

Geick says the need to protect medical information is even higher in a small jurisdiction like the Yukon.

"Everybody is sworn to confidentiality, but we all know there are instances when something is said — even if it's a generalized statement. It's a small enough territory that even with very few details, people can put things together."

Geick said the complaint filed with the Yukon privacy commissioner has triggered what he calls a "government-wide privacy impact assessment."