Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil is not offering an apology to a 19-year-old man who was arrested after it was alleged he breached the province’s freedom-of-information website.
Police dropped the case against the young man on Monday, saying there was no criminal intent and “no grounds to lay charges.”
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They had arrested the man on April 11 and said they gave him notice to appear under a rarely used section of the Criminal Code that prohibits unauthorized use of a computer with fraudulent intent.
McNeil initially referred to the young man’s actions as “stealing,” but has since backed away from the strong language.
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Asked Tuesday about a potential apology to the teen, McNeil would only say that the province took appropriate steps in informing police who he said did their “due diligence” and “determined their course of action.”
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McNeil says it’s now the government’s job to ensure all safeguards are in place before the portal is put back in operation because Nova Scotians “deserve and expect” that their information will be protected.
The youth was arrested after a dramatic raid on his family’s home after it was alleged he downloaded 7,000 documents from the public website.
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