This PIA will focus on the collection, use, and disclosure of personal and personal health information in relation to Yukon Midwifery Program. The Yukon Government has determined that midwifery services and care are to be added as a model of care. Midwifery services have been regulated under the Midwifery Regulations of the Health Professionals Act and it is expected that Midwives will being delivering babies within Whitehorse by Summer 2022. Yukon midwives are employees of the Yukon Department of Health and Social Services ("HSS"), and midwifery services are covered for all eligible Yukoners.
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Yukon Midwifery Program
Privacy Impact Assessment #: HSS-PIA-2021-04
Public Body Name : Health and Social Services
Date of Approval: Monday, November 1, 2021
Supervised Consumption Site
Privacy Impact Assessment #: HSS-PIA-2021-03
Public Body Name : Health and Social Services
Date of Approval: Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Nationally, opioid and other substance use rates have increased steadily over the past decade. The increase in use rates, coupled with other factors such as unsafe illegal supply and the Covid-19 pandemic, has led to an increase in injury and overdoses. The rate of the injury and overdose resulting from substance use has led many jurisdictions throughout Canada to open Supervised Consumption Sites (“SCS”) as a way of reducing harm directly and indirectly resulting from substance use.
SCS are medically supervised facilities that provide a safer, hygienic environment in which individuals can consume drugs under the supervision of a health care professional without the risk of arrest for drug possession. Individuals consume their substances under the supervision of a staff member who is trained to spot the signs of, and reverse, overdose. SCS do not provide the substances. SCS operate based on an approved temporary or permanent exemption issued by Health Canada.
SCS have seen success in lowering overdose, hospitalization, and death rates, as well as providing support services (such as counselling, medical treatment, and detox) to populations that have been historically hard to reach with government sponsored programs. Yukon has not been immune to this increase in user rates and, to quote Yukon’s then Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brendan Hanley on April 22, 2021 "The pace of opioid deaths [in Yukon] is continuing at a terrifying rate". In 2020 the Department of Health and Social Services (“HSS”), Mental Wellness and Substance Use Services (“MWSU”) Branch was mandated to create a SCS program for the health and safety of individuals. The opening of the SCS is supported by Dr. Hanley who stated on April 22, 2021: “This may seem like it's endorsing or supporting drug use, but in fact what happens is that overdoses are prevented and people do get connected to supports, medical care counselling, access to treatment".
Yukon’s SCS will operate under a temporary exemption from the Controlled Substances Directorate, Health Canada that provides the necessary authority to operate a supervised consumption site. The exemption expires September 30, 2022. YG will work to secure a permanent exemption under 56(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Canadian Red Cross Emergency Services
Privacy Impact Assessment #: HSS-PIA-2021-02
Public Body Name : Health and Social Services
Date of Approval: Wednesday, July 7, 2021
The Department of Health and Social Services "HSS", has identified an immediate need, as resulted from extreme weather event concerns across Yukon communities, for support to register and provide access to services to potential evacuees. Historically, HSS has provided these services through in-person service interactions. With the current COVID-19 outbreak and current lack of sufficient emergency response staffing resources, HSS will not be able to provide the in-person service.
To address the immediate need, the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) and HSS will establish a service agreement that enables the CRC to provide relevant emergency services. These services include electronic, phone and in-person registration of potential evacuees and funding support service to evacuees. The CRC will not be an agent of HSS, but will share information with HSS, with the individuals consent, to ensure appropriate access to services.
Family Case Management
Privacy Impact Assessment #: HSS-PIA-2021-05
Public Body Name : Health and Social Services
Date of Approval: Wednesday, March 31, 2021
The Family Case Management (FCM) project is intended to create an electronic case management system capable of responding to
the requirement to better track the safety, service and developmental needs of children involved with our child welfare system (as
noted by the Auditor General of Canada, the Costanzo Report, the Public Interest Disclosure of Wrongdoing Act (PIDWA) Report and
the Yukon Child and Youth Advocate Report). Moving away from intense paper-based tracking systems through the creation of an
electronic case management system will allow social workers more time to focus on client services. This in turn will help support
people’s lives by helping families and children experience better security, safety, well-being and positive outcomes. An increased
ability to demonstrate program level financial accountability, and enhanced security and privacy of program data is also expected as
an outcome given the increase in the amount of client data stored within a secure system.
Septic Disposal Permitting System
Privacy Impact Assessment #: HSS-PIA-2021-01
Public Body Name : Health and Social Services
Date of Approval: Tuesday, March 23, 2021
The purpose of this project is, to enable the public, the ability to apply on-line for septic permits as well as the ability to view septic permit information. Environmental Health Services (EHS) is responsible for the regulatory process for the issuances of Permits to Install Sewage Disposal Systems in Yukon Territory. An approved Sewage Disposal System is required for all decentralized waste disposal systems, these systems serve all buildings that are not connected to community waste collection infrastructure.
EHS is implementing a new electronic information system, the “Sewage Disposal Permitting System (SDPS)”, which includes functionalities such as receiving applications, managing files, conducting assessments, managing correspondence, issuing permits, collecting fees, recording decision outcomes and monitoring. The system will replace an existing MS Excel and paper based system. Once implemented the system will allow installers and homeowners to submit applications for sewage disposal permits online (the name “portal” will be used to describe this online interface) and will be able to receive the required documentation and payments from applicants. The system will also allow EHS staff to manage the application, assessment, correspondence, and authorization information for the applicants. The contract for development of the SDPS has been awarded, and the software application is named Amanda, the vendor being Calytera. Meraki IT Group is a software company which is working on the customization and implementation of Amanda.
There will be an internal EHS component of SDPS, for use by EHS employees, as well as a public-facing component (portal), for use by applicants and permit holders. Access to the System will be very limited within Yukon Government (YG). Only a handful of users will have access, including eight (8) EHOs (Environmental Health Officers), two (2) EHS Administrators and the EHS Manager. The vendor (Calytera and Meraki IT) and ICT (Information and Communications Technology) will also have system support access. EHOs, EHS Administrators and EHS Manager are all employees of Environmental Health Services and Health and Social Services. EHOs are called “Health Officers” in the legislation, the term EHO and Health officer are equivalent. SDPS will be housed entirely within the YG infrastructure at the data centre managed by ICT, Highway and Public Works (HPW). Public users will access the system through a secure portal located in the demilitarized zone (DMZ).