Yukon gov't vows privacy not at risk after commissioner raises concerns

The territorial government is not intent on centralizing Yukoners' personal information in the interest of convenience, according to David Downing, the director of corporate information management.

• Yukon privacy commissioner sounds alarm over gov't review

"Absolutely, without reservation that is not under consideration, in any way, shape or form, that that would be the case. There will be no massive centralised database in the Yukon government," said Downing.

Concerns were raised by the Yukon's information and privacy commissioner, Diane McLeod-McKay, in her response to a government review of the existing Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The government report suggested that barriers to sharing information between its departments hindered the delivery of services to Yukoners.

McLeod-McKay said those barriers help protect Yukoners' rights and that no one person should have access to all of the personal information held by the government.

Downing said the privacy principles in the current act will not be changed, but he said modernization is needed to incorporate digital technology.

"In a world where you had to go to individual front counters, and files are locked in behind that front counter for each and every program," he said, "we have some more ability that hopefully would allow citizens to see where their information is and where it may be being used from at home and in their bedroom slippers, as we do in many commercial services."

He added the government is constantly improving its privacy safeguards.

"Protection of information is built-in always, always, always," he said. "And it is one of our highest concerns."

Downing said the Highways and Public Works department is now looking at its own analysis as well as information collected from people outside the government and will then write recommendations for changes to the act.

Those recommendations will then go out for consultation before new legislation is introduced, he said.