A class action has been proposed regarding a massive B.C. healthcare data breach that could potentially impact over 28,000 people.
The class action, proposed by Slater Vecchio LLP, is aimed at the B.C. Interior Health Authority. It concerns a data breach that may have compromised the data of tens of thousands of former and current interior health employees.
The reported data breach occurred in December 2009, and Slater Vecchio LLP calls it “significant.”
Slater Vecchio says, “The compromised data includes names, dates of birth, Social Insurance Numbers, and contact information.”
The data breach wasn’t discovered until 2017, thanks to a police investigation. Another police investigation in 2024 and media investigations in 2025 uncovered that the breach was larger than first realized.
While the law firm has used language like alleged and purported, it states that authorities have verified that compromised data has been used in fraudulent activities, “including unauthorized Canada Revenue Agency refunds and illegitimate loans.”
“Evidence to date indicates that the compromised data has been sold and distributed on the dark web.”
The Notice of Civil Claim states that cybercriminals and other malicious individuals may still have access to sensitive data and information. It adds that as a result, current and former employees “have suffered mental distress and financial harm.”
One of the plaintiffs in the Notice of Civil Claim is Rae Fergus, a B.C. resident and a former employee of the B.C. Interior Health Authority. The claim suggests that Fergus’ information was used to obtain a car loan, open a bank account through TD, and acquire a credit card.
Those transactions were claimed to have been carried out without Fergus’ consent.
Another former employee, Susan Shaw, was unaware of the breach until April 2025. She found out about the healthcare data breach through a news article.
While no potential monetary amounts have been revealed yet, Slater Vecchio is asking folks who believe they might have been impacted to fill out a form on their website.
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