The City of Hamilton has announced what it is calling an “internal privacy breach” after personal data was shared between departments.

An announcement posted to the city’s website Wednesday said personal information collected for those registering for recreation-related programs was used with the intent of minimizing the need for property owners to re-enter their address information as part of the declaration portal for the vacant-unit tax.

However, the city said this is an “internal unauthorized use,” as data collected by the city cannot be used for another unrelated purpose, unless that intended usage is disclosed when it is collected. The city said it became aware of the issue Feb. 25.

As part of the city’s new one per cent tax on empty homes, residents are required to declare annu

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