Message for Interior Health employees

The list of names and information appears to be from a 2009 document. There is no evidence it relates to a recent breach of IH systems.  

This came to IH’s attention through a recent RCMP investigation. 

The list and information from the RCMP have approximately 20,000 names on it. We know there are about 7,000 current employees and are taking steps to notify them. Due to the age of the data, we are not able to accurately confirm the former employee information at this time.  

If you were employed by IH between 2003 and 2009, you are encouraged to call 1-833-705-2569 for more information about steps you can take to protect your personal information. 

Anyone who is concerned about their personal information can contact our call centre at 1-833-705-2569 to verify if their name appears in the document received from the RCMP.  

We will contact all current employees directly.  

However, once an individual leaves IH, we no longer have access to their up-to-date personal information – phone number, email, etc. This is why we are issuing a call out to former employees who worked for IH between 2003 and 2009 to phone our call centre to confirm if their information is in the document obtained by the RCMP during its investigation. 

Any affected employees – current and former – will be offered credit monitoring services paid for by Interior Health for two years as a precautionary measure.  

In situations like this, credit monitoring is typically offered for one year. Out of an abundance of caution, we are offering two years. 

No. Information in the document is specific to the individual employees – current or former.  

This investigation required the secure sharing of information between several organizations, including law enforcement, and further verification to try to determine a source of the data set.  

We also needed time to review the full list of names to determine who on the list is a current or former employee.  

It also took time to set up credit monitoring through current providers of this service and processes to support notification of a large number of individuals.   

IH is taking the extra step of direct and public notification to support these individuals in protecting themselves from the potential of identity theft.  

No. No patient information was in the document. 

IH has continuously taken steps to ensure that the most advanced and up to date security safeguards are in place for its systems and processes. Like other organizations, what we have in place today is even more stringent than in 2009. However, IH is unable to disclose the specific details about its upgraded security measures for security reasons.  

If you have been the victim of identify theft, call the RCMP and reference the file #2023-19315.

Credit monitoring is a service which notifies someone after certain updates have been made to their credit report and credit score, it helps to see if somebody is trying to apply for credit using their name. This service is often used when someone is concerned about being a victim of fraud. 

The last day to activate the Equifax code for credit monitoring is Oct. 31, 2024. 

If you have been the victim of identity theft, call the RCMP and reference the file #2023-19315.