The City of Guelph has contacted 2,551 individuals to let them know some of their personal information was inadvertently disclosed during a wrongful dismissal lawsuit in 2017.
In a statement released on Monday, a spokesperson said most of those affected are city employees, but 182 are members of the public.
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“Since the disclosure, we have carefully reviewed our processes and practices and have made changes to ensure the protection of personal privacy,” said city clerk, Stephen O’Brien. “We deeply regret this incident took place and apologize again for the error.”
The gaffe was made when the legal team of the city’s former chief building official, Bruce Poole, inadvertently received the information during his wrongful dismissal lawsuit.
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It also led to the removal of deputy CAO Mark Amorosi.
“Those files were later returned to the city and did not become part of any public record,” O’Brien said.
Those affected were contacted by letter, phone, or email. The letters were mailed from city hall on Monday and may take up to a few weeks to reach their destinations, the city said.
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