On November 27, 2019, a password protected laptop was stolen from a University of Ottawa employee’s vehicle. The laptop was used to administer the Destination Clic program, a three-week summer program located at the University of Ottawa for francophone students in Grades 8 and 9 who live outside of Quebec.
As soon as the laptop was reported missing, the University of Ottawa commenced an investigation to attempt to determine what information the laptop may have contained. It was determined that the personal information related to 188 program participants and employees may have been stored on the laptop.
The University of Ottawa has notified affected individuals out of an abundance of caution. We do not have any evidence that suggests any past participant or employee information was accessed in an unauthorized manner. Additionally, we do not have evidence to suggest the laptop was taken with the intent of extracting information.
The University of Ottawa is conducting a review of its information handling practices to ensure sensitive information is properly maintained, stored and securely protected. While incidents of this nature cannot always be prevented, we want to ensure that we continue to strengthen the protection around these focus areas. Privacy is a University of Ottawa priority and that includes the protection of any sensitive or personal information.