Re: Spyware was ‘corporate decision,’ says report, News (June 26)
The conclusions of the whitewash report by staff investigating themselves into the Saanich spyware scandal come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention.
What is very disappointing is the lack of transparency and accountability that one would see in other places. As a retired CIO of a local Crown corporation, I can state with utter certainty that had I authorized the installation of spyware on our system, I would have been fired for cause.
It would not have mattered whether I did so out of incompetence or if I had some other motivation. I would have been gone. Why? I would have brought disrepute onto the organization to a degree that cannot be ignored. I would also have caused our systems to be less secure. Why are Saanich’s standards in labour relations so low?
The only person punished in this entire incident was the IT staff person who blew the whistle and was suspended, in violation of the Whistleblower protection found in FOIPPA, and who was listed in the report as one of the IT staff to leave for a job elsewhere. I understand that this grievance is still outstanding.
As a concerned Saanich resident and taxpayer, I believe that a public inquiry is still needed, by truly independent persons in order to restore any faith in the bureaucracy and council.
Karen HarperSaanich
