TORONTO MAN SAYS HEALTH CANADA SENT HIM PRIVATE INFORMATION

A Toronto resident approved for medical use of marijuana says he
received documents from Health Canada with the private information of
two other registrants.

Kyle Andrews, 33, says he had asked Health Canada to send him
documents to clarify the suggested use of marijuana, after having
problems in the past with varying answers from the department's
representatives.

He is living with HIV and has suffered from hepatitis C in the past.

He received the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations in mail early
last week, and immediately noticed two other sheets among the
documents call sheets containing the names, addresses, phone
numbers and date of births of two separate Canadian residents also
involved in the program.

One of the sheets also indicated the resident's medical condition.

"I called Health Canada immediately and was placed on hold and told
I'd be called back," said Andrews. The call was not returned for two days.

"I got a call Wednesday or Thursday - it should have been immediately."

Andrews says he was called by a director - which is recorded and
posted on YouTube.

In the video, an unidentified female says, "It's come to my attention
that we have inadvertently sent documents to you that you should not
have received from us."

"Health Canada takes our responsibility to safeguard personal
information, ah, quite seriously and this was something that occurred
that should absolutely not have occurred," says the woman.

Andrews was asked to send the documents back in an envelope that
Health Canada would provide, but the envelope has yet to arrive.

When contacted Saturday night, Stephane Shank, a senior advisor of
media relations for Health Canada, told the Star the department is
investigating the occurrence.

"The safeguarding of personal information is a priority for Health
Canada and it treats all potential privacy breaches as very serious
issues," Shank wrote in an email, echoing the sentiments expressed by
the woman Andrews spoke to.

"The Department is reviewing its internal procedures to prevent
future incidences," added Shank.

Prior to speaking to the Health Canada director, Andrews contacted
the two women on the sheets and advised them to take action.

"I told her that I received this and she was in disbelief so I
started reading out her info. I indicated that I received it from
Health Canada and that she should contact them immediately," said Andrews.

Andrews has since been in touch with the Office of the Privacy
Commissioner of Canada and been advised to file a formal complaint
with them a move he plans to see through to the end.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada was contacted by
Health Canada and is working with the department to determine what
took place and what is being done to ensure breaches do not occur
again, said Anne-Marie Hayden, a spokesperson for the office.