Three hospital workers face charges under Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) for snooping into former mayor Rob Ford’s medical records after he was diagnosed with cancer.

The allegations include “willfully collecting, using and disclosing personal health information” at the University Health Network Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in January.

The three individuals charged are to next appear in court on August 20th, and face fines of up to $50,000 each. If they are charged, this will be first case in Ontario’s history where individuals have been successfully prosecuted under PHIPA, which came into force in 2004.

Brian Beamish, Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, has expressed in the past that medical records snooping is a real problem and need to be treated seriously – prosecution is a great tool to highlight that snooping won’t be tolerated.