Metropolis Corridor Information Briefs
Cybersecurity Privateness Act notifications: The Metropolis of Hamilton issued a obscure assertion Tuesday, “For more information on two notifications related to the City’s cybersecurity incident that may impact you, please access the following link.”
The obscure assertion factors to two notifications of privateness failures that the Metropolis should put up on its web site as required by privateness legal guidelines.
Ontario’s Data and Privateness Fee has dominated 3 times this yr alone that encryption of private information constitutes a privateness breach – even when there’s clear and undisputed proof the information was not downloaded or in any other case accessed.
The IPC notes {that a} cybersecurity breach, by itself, does “not necessarily lead to a conclusion” {that a} public company has didn’t take affordable steps to guard private data.
See IPC rulings: Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Well being, The Hospital for Sick Youngsters, and Halton Youngsters’s Assist Society.
The first notification is that the Metropolis can’t get better some private well being data for “Public Health Services clients” if their data was entered into the Metropolis-controlled medical file system. [COVID vaccination data was inputted to a secure provincial system.]
The “Cybersecurity Update General Notification” discloses that much more metropolis databases are “unrecoverable,” together with “systems that support permitting and licensing, administration of land development applications and approvals, financial and business management, museum collections management, Fire Services records management, utility locates processing, and rent supplement and tracking.”
The second notification, “Call Queues Lines Notification,” states that when the Metropolis despatched up a brand new ad-hoc telephone system in late February, it didn’t correctly disclose it was recording telephone calls. “89,737 phone calls were recorded on these lines without caller authorization between March and August 2024.” The Metropolis saved all recordings and should now destroy them.
Each notifications embrace the Metropolis’s continued statements “No evidence that cybercriminals compromised individuals’ personal information or personal health information.” Nonetheless, below Ontario’s privateness legal guidelines, the truth that the information was encrypted signifies that the information was compromised.
Moreover, because it does in any case privateness breaches, the Metropolis assertion ends: “The City of Hamilton takes its responsibility of protecting the security of individuals and their personal information very seriously. We remain fully committed to upholding the highest standards of accountability and transparency. The City regrets this error and apologizes for any inconvenience or distress it may cause.”
Threats and vile feedback: Ward 3 Clr Nrinder Nann shared one of many many vile communications she routinely receives. Threats and vile feedback are a part of the fact of public life right this moment.
I’m conscious of some latest threats. I don’t report on them for varied causes. Mostly, as a result of doing so will give the individual making the threats the eye they search or encourage them to behave for additional consideration.
I see on-line feedback speaking about how public figures are usually not seen at occasions or day-to-day locally. The fact is that public figures should be cautious about their actions and routines. Sadly, these security precautions lower the alternatives for politicians to construct belief by ‘being just like us.’
Associated: The Montréal Police Service is investigating after two Metropolis of Pointe-Claire councillors obtained demise threats by mail.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs endorses use of Robust Mayor powers: Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs weighed into the Stoney Creek parking tons to inexpensive housing debate. In September, the Ministry took to social media and cited Mayor Horwath’s veto choice for example of how Robust Mayor Powers are advancing provincial housing priorities.
Metropolis Supervisor’s Workplace restructuring: The CMO is restructuring. Metropolis Supervisor Marnie Cluckie, now ten months within the job, has employed a Chief of Workers to coordinate and run the day-to-day operations of the CMO.
Cluckie issued the next assertion:
“I am pleased to announce that Daryl Barnhart has accepted the position of Chief of Staff in the City Manager’s Office, effective December 11, 2024. Daryl brings over 15 years of public sector experience, most recently as the Chief of Staff at Niagara Region. In his role at Niagara Region, Daryl provided strategic advice to the Chair, Council and Senior Leadership and was the lead on numerous complex issues. Prior to joining the Niagara Region, Daryl held several progressive senior roles in corporate communications, including as the Manager of Strategic Communications and Public Engagement for the Town of Grimsby.”
The Director of Communications function is quickly to be stuffed, and can concentrate on communications and neighborhood relations. The Director of Authorities Relations will concentrate on authorities relations.
This restructuring ought to forestall the dysfunction that existed below the earlier metropolis supervisor.
Council provides two extra basic supervisor degree executives to Metropolis paperwork: The Metropolis’s web site reveals Metropolis Council has authorized one other growth within the dimension of the Metropolis’s Senior Management Workforce.
This time period of Council already licensed the creation of a brand new Basic Supervisor place, splitting Neighborhood and Emergency Providers into two departments: Wholesome & Protected Communities, and Neighborhood Providers.
The Metropolis’s Chief Data Officer place is promoted to the overall supervisor degree and added to the Senior Administration Workforce.
(The brand new Chief of Workers place will likely be on Senior Management Workforce.)
Mayor Andrea Horwath is hiring a Neighborhood Relations Coordinator: The pay scale for the place lastly displays the vary required to rent a mid-career staffer with the experience wanted for the function. For too lengthy, Hamilton’s mayoral finances has mirrored a small-town method to employees in an enormous metropolis.
Merely put, an excellent candidate for this function could have loads of lower-pressure, well-paying everlasting private-sector authorities or public relations job alternatives. Mayoral staffing jobs are short-term and have to be correctly renumerated.
Transparency from the Metropolis Clerk: Hamilton’s new Metropolis Clerk Matthew Trennum, is promising transparency and professionalism. One of many early modifications he’s implementing is having Hamilton undertake practices widespread amongst Ontario’s municipalities. Starting with the August conferences, council and committee minutes now notice when a councillor is attending conferences by video conferencing.
Picture: Closed part of the Hamilton Conference Centre parking zone, with seen water injury.
Conference Centre parking storage structural threat evaluation: An October 2023 structural analysis recognized important structural deficiencies requiring pressing repairs on the underground parking facility below the Conference Centre.
This threat evaluation, accomplished in October 2023, recognized plenty of points with the construction and beneficial that restore work ought to be carried out as quickly as doable to keep away from additional deterioration and potential failure of the suspended slab beneath Summers Lane,” reads the general public model of an replace to Council.
Metropolis Corridor didn’t launch the consultants’ report.
The pressing repairs will likely be added to the 2025 Metropolis Capital finances.
Metropolis delays Longwood Street bridge substitute: It’s going to by no means be cheaper to construct than now, however the Metropolis of Hamilton will wait till the final doable second to begin changing the Longwood Avenue bridge over Freeway 403.
The prevailing bridge should be decommissioned by 2032, however Metropolis Corridor is ready till 2027 to rent a guide to plan the substitute challenge, making financing the challenge an issue for the following Metropolis Council.
Final November, Metrolinx introduced modifications to the deliberate routing of the B-Line LRT over Freeway 403. Trains will now use Frid Avenue as a substitute of Longwood Avenue.
The Metropolis had hoped to have the provincial and federal governments take in the bridge substitute prices inside the LRT finances.
Public Well being resumes faculty immunization enforcement: Almost 5 years after the COVID pandemic started, Hamilton Public Well being will resume faculty immunization enforcement. Hamilton is without doubt one of the final public well being items in Ontario to take action. Metropolis Corridor claimed it was nonetheless busy responding to COVID issues, then in February, the Metropolis’s cybersecurity failure induced additional delays.
Enforcement is being “phased,” with the preliminary concentrate on college students in Senior Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
The Metropolis’s FOI workplace will get it proper: Ontario’s Data and Privateness Commissioner upheld a choice by the Metropolis of Hamilton not to reply to an FOI request. The requestor sought to be taught if the tenants in a home they personal obtain social help funds. Responding if there have been information would reveal private data.
Hamilton Maintains AAA Credit score Score, Good Information for Bond Holders: Shopping for Ontario municipal debt may be very secure, S&P International Rankings confirmed final week. Hamilton, like most Ontario municipalities, had its bond score upgraded throughout the COVID pandemic when the provincial and federal governments proved they’ll assist municipalities throughout monetary difficulties.
Credit score rankings replicate the probability that debt holders will obtain immediate funds.
Associated: Bond Rankings are for Buyers (Not Taxpayers)
Truck route violation on-line reporting: The Metropolis of Hamilton is now taking complaints concerning truck route violations utilizing a web based type. The shape will allow the Metropolis to establish tendencies and advocate enforcement to the Hamilton Police Service. Extra information right here. The net reporting type is right here.
Renovation Licence and Relocation By-law Implementation: The bylaw will come into impact on January 1, 2025. The Metropolis’s enterprise licensing part has posted data on the bylaw for landlords and tenants.
Hamilton Integrity Commissioner rulings are actually on CanLII: With the hiring of an integrity commissioner who supplies complete and reasoned stories, Hamilton’s IC stories are actually included within the CanLII authorized database of Ontario municipal integrity commissioner stories.
Ward 2 Clr Cameron Kroetsch on the podcast circuit: Kroetsch sat down with The 905er and CHCH in separate mid-September interviews to debate the challenges Downtown Hamilton is experiencing and the way he’s responding on encampments and homelessness.
On the 905er, Kroetsch mentioned the state of Downtown Hamilton (together with the departure of the Federal Court docket of Canada), why the Metropolis is implementing the tiny shelters at Barton and Tiffany Right here’s the hyperlink for the episode.
With CHCH, Kroetsch mentioned the identical points plus provincial politics – together with Sarah Jama, the Ontario NDP, and the Police Board.
Ward 8 Clr John-Paul Danko on CHCH’s podcast: He talked housing and homelessness, council dynamics (saying the brand new councillors are studying this time period), secure drug use provide merchandising machines, why he helps the Ford authorities choice to shut supervised consumption websites and exchange with therapy packages, and on bike lanes Danko says the Ford authorities ought to keep out of municipal jurisdiction.
Report – AHL Returning to Hamilton: The Sports activities Enterprise Journal stories Hamilton’s renovated enviornment will likely be house to an AHL staff.
Hamilton’s Director of Water on TVO: Nick Winters mentioned water infrastructure on TVO’s The Agenda.
Library stories $58,400 spending on PRESTO playing cards: The HPL started buying the playing cards in 2021 following a $25,000 donation for kids and youth programming. The HPL offers out the playing cards without cost to youngsters below the age of 12. The limited-term promotion has grow to be a everlasting program, funded from a youth programming reserve fund. The reserve fund started 2024 with $60,000. The Library Board might want to discover a new funding stream to proceed this system.
Former Metropolis of Hamilton supervisor is now a West Lincoln councillor: Retired Supervisor of Sport and Neighborhood Growth Greg Maychak received a by-election, besting a former mayor, to win the Ward 3 seat in our neighbouring municipality.
This was first printed in TPR’s E mail Editior
E mail Version Date: November 25, 2024
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