Media releases

• Brock expert calls Ontario cannabis sales plan a ‘very good start’

  Monday, September 11, 2017 | By ddakin

  EXPERT ADVISORY: 11 September 2017 – R00159

  A Brock University Health Sciences professor says the Ontario government’s cautious rollout of legalized cannabis sales is a reasonable move to walk the tightrope of a politically contentious issue.

  Department of Health Sciences Associate Professor Dan Malleck, an expert on Canadian drug and alcohol policy and history, says Ontario’s plan to create a cannabis control board and open up to 60 stores in the first year “reflects the politics of the situation.

  “Governments want to err on the side of caution when they’re dealing with something as historically socially fraught as cannabis,” he says. “Provincial governments are in a tough place because they need to balance social fears about access to cannabis with the problems of black market sales. And they also need to follow legislation and recommendations initiated by the federal government.”

  Malleck says that while the cautious approach makes sense, it could make controlling the substance more challenging.

  “Without a good number of access points, it may be difficult to undercut the so-called black market,” he says, adding that it would have been easier to sell cannabis in existing LCBO stores.

  However, the professor also acknowledges that the Ontario government’s announcement Friday — some 10 months ahead of the July 1, 2018 federal legalization date — is a “very good start.

  “Having the current liquor control board infrastructure manage distribution is also a good thing. Ontario having a plan in place can provide a good example for other provinces,” he says.

  Malleck is available for interviews.

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock data expert shares concerns after Equifax cyberattack

  Friday, September 08, 2017 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY: 8 September 2017 – R00158

  Brock University Assistant Professor Karen Louise Smith, whose research focuses on digital literacy, data and privacy can speak from personal experience when it comes to concerns over the recent Equifax Inc. cyberattack. She believes she might be one of the victims.

  On Thursday, Equifax officials announced that between May and July, hackers accessed personal information including names, birth dates, home addresses, identification numbers and some credit card numbers for as many as 143 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and Britain.

  Information on how many Canadians are affected has not been made available, and it’s unclear how Canadians can determine if their information was compromised in the breach.

  Among the Canadians who may have been impacted is Smith, an assistant professor in Brock’s Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film.

  Smith recently had to provide an Equifax credit report to obtain electricity at home.

  Calling the data breach “highly alarming,” she points out that, in many cases, Canadians are required to use credit reporting services.

  “We should be able to trust them with our personal information,” says Smith.

  A class-action lawsuit has already been filed against Equifax in the US, but immediate concerns for consumers are more pressing.

  Smith believes her information is at risk and will register to enrol in the TrustedID Premier protection offered by Equifax. She will also be monitoring her financial accounts closely for signs of fraud.

  But she remains highly concerned that Canadian-specific information is not available on the Equifax website at this time.

  “I will be watching to see if Equifax provides details on what identifiers — social insurance numbers, names, dates of birth — were breached, and if they offer any advice to impacted Canadians. I hope the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada can also assist impacted Canadians to understand what steps we can take to mitigate the breach,” says Smith.

  If social insurance numbers are affected, Canadians need to know as soon as possible.

  “Once your SIN is used fraudulently, it’s challenging to deal with,” Smith says. “If it is revealed that SINs were breached, it could put many Canadians and customers of Equifax in a difficult situation.”

  Smith’s work on digital literacy, data and privacy has been published in Surveillance & Society and Computer Supported Cooperative Work.

  Smith is available for interviews.
  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases