Eighteen months after being fired and vilified by the provincial government, a civil servant has been rehired with a glowing testament to his character.
Once again, British Columbians are left to wonder what was behind the firings of seven people at the Ministry of Health and whether their punishment was out of proportion to their transgressions.
Robert Neil Hart, who had been the ministry鈥檚 director of data access, research and stewardship, was terminated in August 2012 as part of the investigation into privacy breaches. Health information on thousands of British Columbians was shared with drug researchers who were not authorized to have it.
When former health minister Margaret MacDiarmid announced the discovery of the breaches in September 2012, she made it sound as if a dire conspiracy had been uncovered. The RCMP was asked to look into allegations against civil servants and researchers at the University of Victoria and the University of sa国际传媒
The province suspended data access and $4 million worth of contracts with the two universities. It also suspended contracts for drug research and development.
The government was concerned about inappropriate contracting and subcontracting, and the possibility that some of the people had family relationships that might have put them in conflicts of interest.
鈥淚 continue to be deeply troubled and disturbed by this,鈥� MacDiarmid said as she announced the firings. She said procedures were being tightened.
In the months that followed, investigations multiplied, but answers were few. Four firings became seven firings.
The workers filed grievances and launched wrongful-dismissal suits. The privacy commissioner found significant lapses in the protection of patient data that are used for health research. One of the fired researchers, PhD student Rod MacIsaac, committed suicide.
Then on Monday, after a year and a half of innuendo, Hart, one of the first to be fired, was rehired, and he dropped his lawsuit.
A statement of fact agreed to by the province described it as 鈥渁s a demonstration of the government鈥檚 continuing confidence in him, as a loyal and dedicated public servant with over 29 years service,鈥� said his lawyer, Bob Gill.
While it is difficult for most people to figure out how firing someone and leaving them in limbo for 18 months is a demonstration of 鈥渃ontinuing confidence,鈥� we must accept the peculiar logic of the statements that often come with legal settlements.
Health Minister Terry Lake refused to comment on the settlement, saying it is a personnel matter.
The government, which has been working on its own report, couldn鈥檛 say Monday when it would be finished or whether it would be made public. The RCMP has not begun an investigation and won鈥檛 decide whether to open one until it receives the government report.
Two years after the government started probing an anonymous tip, voters are left with the increasing suspicion that, despite MacDiarmid鈥檚 outrage and the flurry of investigations, there was much less here than first appeared.
The privacy commissioner found sloppy handling of data, of the kind that probably happens in offices large and small every day. That doesn鈥檛 excuse the sloppiness. The civil servants and contractors were dealing with sensitive information about patients who were assured their privacy was protected and information would be used only for authorized purposes.
It鈥檚 the kind of thing that merits reprimands, changes in policy, better supervision and possibly suspensions.
The reinstatement of Hart has added to the confusion. The government needs to finish its report and release it publicly, so British Columbians can judge the case for themselves.
