NDP Leader calling for action following Nova Scotia Power breach

HALIFAX – NSNDP Leader Claudia Chender is calling for swift action from the Houston government to protect Nova Scotians impacted by the Nova Scotia Power (NSP) data breach and future potential cyber attacks. New Democrats are calling for extended credit monitoring for people whose information was stolen and potential compensation for those affected.

After Wednesday’s committee meeting, Chender announced her party will table legislation to allow free credit freezes, modernize rules around the storage of private personal information, and empower those whose information has been stolen to seek damages through a class action lawsuit.

“People are worried that their private, personal information has been violated and they’ll be living with the consequences of that for years to come. It’s incredibly stressful and unacceptable,” said Chender. “Nova Scotia Power had few answers at committee yesterday, and their comments were cold comfort to the hundreds of thousands of Nova Scotians who have had their personal information stolen. They wouldn’t even guarantee that customers won’t be on the hook for any of the costs to clean up this breach. Nova Scotia Power needs to support their customers through this in every way they can, and this government must act quickly to increase protections for all Nova Scotians.”

Chender also made a formal motion requesting that the Auditor General look into Nova Scotia Power’s actions and responses to the cyber attack.

“It is unacceptable that the CEO of Nova Scotia Power couldn’t explain why the company was storing social insurance numbers contrary to best practices, in some cases for decades,” said Chender. “This put customers at unacceptable risk. We will keep pushing for the accountability and the assurances Nova Scotians need. Government has a role to play in protecting people. Action must be taken to make sure no one else has to deal with this again.”

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