11 Comments
User's avatar
Rodney Feland's avatar

Really? Blind copying Email addresses in a large group distribution of information is basic security protocol for any public correspondence. All can read the content, but the addresses (and usually names of) the participants are not revealed.

One can only conclude that this may have been deliberate, and for the benefit of the coal mine associations.

Otherwise ,the AER is a captured regulator, and incompetent to boot!

Kay's avatar

AER is not a bi-partisan agency since UCP. Yager as energy advisor to the Smith and AER Board Member.

Shan L's avatar

This is not the only instance of this situation. There are perhaps 3 other instances bringing the total to about 1000 shared emails.

Has anyone followed the process outlined by the Privacy Commissioner yet? Step 1 is to complain to the AER who has 30 business days to respond. They should report the breach themselves but have they?

https://oipc.ab.ca/privacy-correction-complaint/

Bonny Chabay's avatar

Dear god. I am one of those 194. I have replied with a not so nice response!

Debraflorence1@gmail.com's avatar

They should step down. Everyone is them

Greg Pohl's avatar

it's not just 194 emails, it seems to be closer to 500 or perhaps many more. I was part of a DIFFERENT bulk email addressed to 300 people - not BCCed. A friend who was part of Dave Thomas' bulk email, and Dave Thomas himself, don't appear to be in that list. I suspect this was sent to groups of 300 at a time, with 194 being the last partial group, but I'm just guessing at all that. How many other groups? How many people now have their personal info dropped into the hands of entities who would be very interested to know who cares deeply about this issue.

Greg Hooper's avatar

Vast and unaccountable incompetence.

IM Citizen's avatar

Hear hear. I was SHOCKED to see the long list of email addies when I received the 24 page gobbledygook to me report. Are we dealing with amateurs or malfeasance?. I choose the latter.

This is definitely lawsuitable but with so many daggers and knives puncturing our democracy and earth. WHO HAS TIME OR MONEY? And they rely on that.

They want us bogged down in their evil minutae, like the bully who trips the smart kid on her way to make a class presentation, scrambling to gather her papers fallen to the floor, flustered, instead of delivering the message at the front of the class.

We won't be tripped up. We need to address this breach of privacy but I am only capable of this: canvassing for waternotcoal.ca and I'll keep doing that. Thank you and let's see where this evolves.

Paul Armstrong's avatar

more incompetence from the AER? What a surprise!! If I didn't know better I'd say the release of the 194 e-mail addresses was done deliberately so the Pro-coal morons could harass Grassy Mountain commenters.... this is a privacy leak on a grand scale....someone should answer for it.

Bobsuruncle's avatar

Absolutely, and I would be contacting my lawyer, now