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Vaccine Passports: How experts say B.C. can learn from Quebec's mistakes – CTV News Vancouver

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3 years ago

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VANCOUVER —
Mere hours after Quebec’s vaccine passport system launched on the government website, hackers were able to get the QR codes belonging to several politicians, including Premier Francois Legault.

Cybersecurity experts tell CTV News the hackers likely downloaded the QR codes from the government website using dates of birth, health insurance numbers and first vaccination dates. Now, they’re warning that B.C. needs to be vigilant for data breaches as it prepares to launch its own vaccine passports.

“It’s very easy for hackers to go online and find publicly available information on high profile government officials. Their name, vaccine status, their date of birth, these are very easy things to find. Unfortunately, the Quebec government did not put additional security layers on its website to ensure that only people downloading their own QR codes, are in fact doing so,” said Carmi Levy, a technology analyst based in London, Ontario.

While it may seem like a minor privacy breach, Levy said it could potentially open the path to identity theft.

“Here’s the thing about identity theft, you get one piece of information in one place, a couple more pieces of information elsewhere, if you’re a hacker, you can assemble a dose of data on your victim from multiple sources, and then you can go to town,” said Levy.

B.C.’s vaccine card is set to roll out Sept. 13 and users will need at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to be permitted entry into events such as concerts, sports games and businesses like pubs, restaurants and fitness classes. By Oct. 24, users are will need to be fully vaccinated and with at least seven days having passed since receiving their second dose.

Cybersecurity experts hope the government of B.C. is watching what is happening in Quebec and learn from that province’s mistakes.

“We need to sit down and not rush through this. We need to think of all the potential threats and go through a threat modelling exercise to identity how could this data and these QR codes be misused?” said Dominic Vogel, chief strategist at Cyber.sc.

In a statement to CTV News, B.C.’s Ministry of Health said “Protecting British Columbians’ data and networks is a top priority for this government, especially where it concerns personal information. Security threat and risk assessments, as well as privacy impact assessments play an important role in privacy protection by helping government identify and mitigate risks.”

It also said that the Office of the Chief Information Officer is constantly evaluating potential threats and has systems monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We are working to make the BC Vaccine Card process as easy as possible for people, while ensuring it is secure protecting people’s privacy. More details will be provided to the public in the coming days,” continued the ministry’s statement.

However B.C. decides to roll out its vaccine passport, Levy believes there will likely be glitches in the process. What matters is that we learn from those glitches and apply that information going forward.

“We should also treat QR codes like we treat our signatures, our passwords and our usernames. We should not be sharing them or taking pictures on social media. We shouldn’t be telling people where we got vaccinated and what we got vaccinated with. All of this information in the hands of a hacker, could potentially be used against us,” added Levy. 

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Carry On Canadian Business. Carry On!

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8 hours ago

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October 22, 2024

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business to start in Canada

Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.

I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.

Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.

Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

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Imperial to cut prices in NWT community after low river prevented resupply by barges

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11 hours ago

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October 22, 2024

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NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.

Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.

The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.

It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.

Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.

Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.

“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.

The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.

“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.

Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.

Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.

In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.

It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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U.S. vote has Canadian business leaders worried about protectionist policies: KPMG

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11 hours ago

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October 22, 2024

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TORONTO – A new report says many Canadian business leaders are worried about economic uncertainties related to the looming U.S. election.

The survey by KPMG in Canada of 735 small- and medium-sized businesses says 87 per cent fear the Canadian economy could become “collateral damage” from American protectionist policies that lead to less favourable trade deals and increased tariffs

It says that due to those concerns, 85 per cent of business leaders in Canada polled are reviewing their business strategies to prepare for a change in leadership.

The concerns are primarily being felt by larger Canadian companies and sectors that are highly integrated with the U.S. economy, such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation and warehousing, energy and natural resources, as well as technology, media and telecommunications.

Shaira Nanji, a KPMG Law partner in its tax practice, says the prospect of further changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. means some Canadian firms will need to look for ways to mitigate added costs and take advantage of potential trade relief provisions to remain competitive.

Both presidential candidates have campaigned on protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canadian trade, and whoever takes the White House will be in charge during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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