The five southwestern Ontario hospitals targeted in an ongoing cyberattack confirmed Wednesday that all of their clinical and non-clinical systems were affected in the blackmail attempt, and the only safe route going forward is to entirely rebuild their networks.
The organizations also stated that determining all of the specific individuals whose data was stolen will likely take months.
“We can confirm that the restoration process (Phase 4) is on track,” the hospitals said in the joint statement. “While it will still take some time before all affected critical systems are completely online, our teams are working around the clock to ensure the process is progressing as quickly and safely as possible. We are also working with leads at each hospital for a seamless return to service.”
In an attempt to blackmail the institutions, hackers stole millions of records from Bluewater Health in Sarnia, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, and Windsor Regional Hospital.
The hospital websites all had messages Wednesday stating they were still dealing with system outages and patient scheduling issues following the attack. Windsor Regional Hospital called it a Code Grey, with email systems down and no access to electronic health records.
A cybercrime gang called Daixin Team has claimed responsibility for the attack, which the hospitals detected Oct. 23.
Bluewater Health was the hardest hit, with the theft of a database report including information related to 5.6 million hospital visits by about 267,000 unique patients.
When the hospitals refused to pay a ransom, the criminals started posting the data online. On Wednesday morning, they posted the fourth round in what appears to be five planned releases of information culminating in a “full leak.”
“The investigation into the incident is also in progress to determine the specific individuals whose data may have been taken, and this is expected to take a number of months,” the hospitals said.
Along with stealing sensitive patient information, the hackers locked the hospitals out of their systems.
In their statement on Wednesday, the hospitals said there are five phases to the rebuilding effort. The first was containing the cyberattack, which is now complete.
The other four phases are still ongoing. They include identifying the cause of the cyberattack through a forensic investigation; strengthening the network and additional protections; restoring applications and systems based on clinical priority; and continuing to monitor traffic into and out of the network.
“Delays will be reduced for patients once digital charting is restored,” the hospitals said. “Please note that some patients and families may still experience diagnostic and/or treatment delays while we work to restore all systems. Clinical applications will be coming back online one by one or in clusters as we approach mid-December 2023.”
The hospitals said physicians may still not have access to past patient records or medical histories, current medication lists, reports from other clinicians involved in care, and pre-admission workups.
“While some of our systems are functional, they are slower than usual and require extra time,” the hospitals said. “This affects access to labs and diagnostic imaging.”
The hospitals said that in the absences of necessary information, physicians will cancel some procedures if it’s not safe to proceed.
The hospitals are urging anyone who does not need emergency care to visit their primary care provider or local clinic for healthcare issues.
The hospitals have established a cybersecurity hotline for patients available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday. Patients with questions can call 519-437-6212. The agencies said hospital staff should direct questions to their respective human resources teams.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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