Thomas Dang steps down amid RCMP investigation
Posted Dec 21, 2021 12:19 pm.
Last Updated Dec 22, 2021 10:21 am.
A member of Alberta’s opposition has stepped down after RCMP executed a search warrant on their home on Tuesday.
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley announced Tuesday that NDP MLA Thomas Dang is no longer with the party due to what she believes could be connected to a breach of Alberta Health records earlier this year.
NEW:
NDP MLA Thomas Dang has stepped down.
Leader Rachel Notley says this comes following after RCMP executed a search warrant on his home – tied to Alberta Health records.#yeg #yyc #ableg
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) December 21, 2021
Notley says she doesn’t know what the specific allegations against Dang are, but the dates of the warrant coincide with a breach of Alberta Health records.
“In September, all Albertans heard anecdotal reports that they could access protected health information of other Albertans through the website. This was later proven to be correct.”
WATCH: Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley provides an update on changes to her caucus.
Dang, the member of the legislature for Edmonton-South, says he was notified by a family member that the RCMP had executed a search warrant on his home.
He says on Twitter he believes the search warrant is connected to his efforts in September to check vulnerabilities with COVID-19 vaccination records on an Alberta government website.
My statement on todays events. pic.twitter.com/lMSEKVALPC
— Thomas Dang (@ThomasDangAB) December 22, 2021
Dang says he tested his concerns and found that a security flaw did exist. He says he notified Alberta Health and the vulnerability was corrected.
Dang says he offered to resign from the NDP caucus while the investigation is ongoing.
“As this matter is now under active police investigation, Thomas has offered to step aside from our caucus and I agreed to that request,” Notley explained on Tuesday. “Our caucus has a long-standing policy that members under active police investigation will not sit in the caucus, and Thomas understands this.”
RCMP say in a release that its cybercrime team executed a warrant at an Edmonton home but did not name Dang, noting that no arrests or charges have been laid.
Police say a criminal investigation started last month after it received information about suspicious activity related to the access of private information of vaccination records.
It described the investigation as a priority that will take time to complete.
– With files from the Canadian Press
