SUBSCRIBE! Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story!

Image From Facebook/ThomasDangAB

Alberta MLA charged in hacking case won’t return to NDP caucus or seek re-election

Jul 22, 2022 | 8:44 AM

EDMONTON – An Alberta legislature member who left the Opposition NDP caucus over a computer hacking investigation says he will remain in the house as an Independent and not seek re-election in 2023

Thomas Dang says in a statement that Albertans are facing a number of crucial issues, including inflation and climate change, and his predicament is distracting the NDP on those problems.

Dang is a second-term member representing Edmonton-South.

He left caucus in December 2021 when the RCMP began investigating a hack of Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccine website.

Dang later admitted to using his computer to follow up on a tip from a constituent about possible loopholes that were allowing access to people’s private health information on the website.

He later said that when he ran into roadblocks trying to breach the vaccination site, he used Premier Jason Kenney’s birth date and vaccination dates, both publicly available, which allowed him to breach the site’s privacy safeguards.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2022.

The Canadian Press