Government Safety and Security Committee Will Discuss Desjardin Privacy Breach
Last month Desjardin disclosed a security breach affecting 2.9 million of their members. Private information including names, birthdays, social insurance numbers and addresses were illegally given to a third party. This information can be used by criminals for crimes such as identity fraud. Two class action law suits were filed almost immediately on behalf of members. The suits require court approval before they can proceed.
Now the chair of the House of Commons public safety and national security committee John McKay has announced an emergency meeting of the committee. There typically hasn’t been a satisfactory solution to this type of data theft, and it isn’t clear the committee will find a useful solution. McKay said, “We will certainly be listening to all witnesses, and certainly if there’s a solution out there, we will be recommending it to the government.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/security-meeting-desjardins-1.5205025
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/desjardins-prolongs-credit-monitoring-after-security-breach
Vancouver Food Co-op Bounces Back
There’s some good news for the 11,000 members of Vancouver’s only food co-operative.
The East End Food Co-op has survived a recent financial crisis and is looking to expand from its current 2,000-square-foot location on Commercial Drive to a 6,000-12,000-square-foot premises.
Co-op president Graham Anderson says having more space will mean offering a wider variety of products and allow the co-op compete with other food retailers in the area.
When Choices Market moved across the street from the co-op a few years ago, sales started to slump. At a crisis response meeting in July 2018, longtime unionized staff voluntarily took a cut in benefits. Thereafter members and the community rallied by shopping at the co-op more often and VanCity Savings came through with a $50,000 donation. Now the East End Food Co-op is breaking even. Anderson says expansion plans will likely require a $1 million dollar investment.
Bio-Diesel Co-op Opens Second Location
While the British Columbia Utilities Commission tries to get big oil companies to cough up their profit margins on gasoline, drivers with diesel engines in one part of the province already have an alternative fuel. The Cowichan Bio-Diesel Co-op has opened its second Green & Go blending station in the town of Duncan. The co-op has been supplying access to 100% bio-diesel since 2005 and is already looking for a third Green & Go location. Co-op President Brian Roberts says the fuel is made from recycled waste cooking oil collected from restaurants across Vancouver Island. He says bio-fuels are biodegradable, renewable, non-toxic and clean-burning and most diesel vehicles can use this product without any major modifications.The Co-op’s two locations operate like regular gas stations with several blends of bio-diesel to choose from.
Co-ops Co-operating in Winnipeg
In the spirit of co-operation among co-operatives, Peg City Car Co-op, the only carshare in Winnipeg, has teamed up with the Old Grace Housing Co-op to purchase an eight-seat passenger van. Phillip Mikulec, operations manager for Peg City, said the two co-ops worked together to apply for a Community Incentives Grant and local city councillor Cindy Gilroy helped champion their cause.
Peg City is celebrating its 8th year in business and has over 1,200 members and 35 vehicles.
The Old Grace Housing Co-op had its grand opening on June 14 and sits on the site of the original Grace Hospital in the heart of Winnipeg’s Wolseley neighbourhood. Three car-share vehicles will be stationed at this location.
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