Privacy Breaching

Just over a year ago I was planning a trip south so that I could avoid the painful affects of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I had spent quite a bit of time preparing my vehicle to drive into the unknown to counter the negative affects of the "dark season". As I needed to prevent any problems with my housing situation, my doctor so graciously prepared a letter of support. I dropped this off to BC Housing as the funding and rules associated with subsidized housing were established by BC Housing. I was debating how to approach my landlord and deliver the letter.

On a day I was feeling rather unwell, I decided to catch-up on my laundry. As I was doing my laundry, my landlord entered and started a discussion. At first I couldn't figure out what the landlord was talking about but I started realizing through the discussion that my landlord knew quite a bit about my planned trip. I wasn't sure if it was the gossip mill that had informed my landlord or what. My landlord stated they had received the letter from BC Housing. I was informed by the landlord that BC Housing had faxed the letter containing confidential health information to my landlord without my knowledge or approval. I hadn't been given the chance to figure out how to deal with it. I was being confronted by my landlord about a private matter in a public space and I had no way of controlling this breach or the manner it was being addressed. My landlord also stated that they had contacted my doctor to discuss the matter. I don't blame the doctor as the letter did state, "feel free to contact me." The doctor presumed I had given the letter to my landlord and that I have a normal landlord.

It became abundantly clear that BC Housing did not respect my privacy and neither did my landlord. At first I ignored this as a possible anomaly but with additional breaches of my privacy, it appears to be "the norm" with my landlord. Under PIPA (Personal Information Protection Act [SBC 2003] CHAPTER 63)
Part 9 — Care of Personal Information

Protection of personal information

34  An organization must protect personal information in its custody or under its control by making reasonable security arrangements to prevent unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risks.

This particular situation was a significant breach by BC Housing and my landlord. There also seems to be multiple breaches between the landlord and "preferred tenants" as many of the "in the know" tenants seem to know far too much about vulnerable tenants than they should. The whole purpose behind PIPA is to ensure an individual has control over their personal information. Once this is breached, it is a free-for-all.

I often wonder about the emails I get from my landlord. Not at any time did I approve or were asked if I'd like to be added to the distribution list. In addition, several emails expose my email address to all of the tenants where I live. Did anyone think to check PIPA for email related issues? Nope. How do you tease an ostracized and excluded tenant from the community? Send them emails about activities that they're not allowed to participate in that you know they'd be interested in. I'm not biting. They call that "bait and hook" and it is childish.

Last year, during a bout of bullying by the mob, the landlord joined in and used BC Housing subsidy applications to bully. On the third application I asked my parents to drop off the application as I did not feel comfortable looking in the eyes of liars. Much to my amazement, the landlord pulled my parents into a meeting that I neither authorized or knew was going to happen to discuss me. The first thing my landlord said to my parents, “We know (tenant) has mental health issues and we have been very accommodating towards him.” Wow Nelly! Now there's a Human Rights violation if I've ever heard one. I am familiar with bullies discrediting the target as "mentally ill", but to the target's parents? On an unauthorized meeting? Talk about breach-o-rama! In addition to all of this, a board member of the housing complex followed my mother down the back lane a block from the complex to the car where I sat. When I pointed this out to my mother the individual scurried off like a rat.

Privacy is important to ensure fair and honest treatment and to ensure accountability. Unfortunately, when there is little regard for privacy there is no trust.