Skip to content

Alberta Independent MLA Thomas Dang pleads guilty to Health Information Act breach

20221104191132-6365a1461cd60b6cc8ed98f9jpeg
Edmonton-Southwest NDP MLA Thomas Dang, 20, laughs along with his colleagues during an introductory meeting with all newly elected MLAs in Edmonton on Tuesday, May 12, 2015. An Alberta legislature member charged in a computer hacking investigation has pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health Information Act. Thomas Dang, who now sits as an Independent, entered the plea in provincial court Friday, a spokesman for Dang confirmed in a statement. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

EDMONTON — An Alberta legislature member charged in a computer hacking investigation has pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health Information Act.

Thomas Dang entered the plea in provincial court Friday, a spokesman for Dang confirmed in a statement.

He is facing a fine and is to be sentenced on Nov. 29.

Dang sits as an Independent member representing Edmonton-South and does not plan to seek re-election in the spring 2023 vote.

He is a former member of the NDP caucus but left almost a year ago when the RCMP began investigating a hack of Alberta's COVID-19 vaccine website.

Dang later admitted to using his computer to follow up on a tip from a constituent about possible loopholes that were allowing access to people's private health information on the website.

He later said that when he ran into roadblocks trying to breach the vaccination site, he used Premier Jason Kenney's birth date and vaccination dates, both publicly available, which allowed him to breach the site's privacy safeguards.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2022

The Canadian Press

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks