Ikea confirmed the email and the privacy breach to Global News.
Officials also told us the furniture company acted quickly to prevent the data from being used, stored, or shared with any third parties. It also confirmed no financial or banking information was accessed.
Arthur Gallant questions customer data safety after breach.
Global Calgary
Gallant said Ikea’s response was good, but not good enough.
“It’s cold comfort to be told my financial information was not accessed,” he said. “Because the information that was accessed is still pretty private.”
Ikea Canada told Global News it was made aware that some of its customers’ personal information appeared in the results of a generic search made by an employee between March 1 to March 3.
A spokesperson added that the information was accessed by the person using Ikea’s customer database.
“While we can’t speculate as to why the search was made, we can share that we have taken actions to remedy this situation,” Ikea Canada PR leader Kristin Newbigging said.
1:44 OPP make two arrests in ‘immunization system breach’
OPP make two arrests in ‘immunization system breach’ – Nov 23, 2021
“We have also reviewed our internal processes and reminded our co-workers of their obligation to protect customer information.”
Gallant said it’s scary that employees need to be reminded of that.
“When you think of how many people work for these companies, how many people have access to their systems, it certainly rattles me,” he said.
“How can one person access private, confidential info of 95,000 customers over a three-day period? This is absolutely unacceptable.”
OPC officials confirmed they are in communication with the company to get more information and determine next steps. They would not say what those steps could be.
1:53 Hospital employee fired after ‘significant’ privacy breach
However, OPC did tell Global News during the 2020-21 fiscal year the office received 782 breach reports, affecting at least nine million Canadian accounts.
Gallant has already taken steps to secure his information by putting a fraud block on his credit report and he urged others to do the same, despite any assurance from any company.
“Even though the email from Ikea says there is no financial information involved, in today’s day and age I simply can’t trust that.”
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
