Innisfil's Richard Thomas takes his privacy seriously.
So the Churchill resident was a bit alarmed toward the end of May when a contractor retained by the County of Simcoe as part of a nearby road reconstruction project showed up at his doorstep looking to obtain some basic personal information.
He says representatives from GEI Consultants then used “pressure tactics” to confirm names, addresses and phone numbers from him and his neighbours, and attempt to gain access to their homes to take photos inside.
Thomas says GEI was gathering the details for pre-construction inspections of dwellings and outbuildings, ahead of work that is now underway around the County Road 4 (Yonge Street) and 4th Line intersection.
“They said they needed access ... so if there was damage done, they would have a record of pre and post,” Thomas said, noting he gave them his basic details but would not permit entry until they showed him a privacy policy specifying how his information was being stored.
“When I saw the clipboard, it showed all my neighbours’ information on it. No privacy policy for a company gathering an incredible volume (of) personal data that all sorts of third parties would want access to seems extremely irresponsible, at the least, on the part of the county," he added. "They’re not protecting the privacy of the people paying taxes. This is a pretty large, glaring problem.”
Thomas also wants to know which third parties and GEI staff have access to residents' information, and the length of time for which it’s kept.
He says he’s now asked on numerous occasions for a privacy policy, but has so far been ghosted.
GEI communications director Rachel Sa said via email the information is collected to safeguard residents, business owners and the county.
“These assessments are designed to identify, catalogue and summarize the structural conditions of a residence or commercial structure,” she said. “Our team members require access to the interior of residences or commercial properties to take photographic inventory of existing conditions.
"GEI will then capture the details of these pre-construction assessments in a report. The details of the report would only be shared with the County of Simcoe if a resident or business owner issues a claim against the county related to the improvement project," Sa added.
Village Media asked Sa whether GEI had a privacy policy related to this type of data collection.
"All GEI staff in the province of Ontario must comply with confidentiality requirements as a condition of their employment," she said. "Additionally, and relevant to all GEI operations, we are committed to protecting the confidentiality and integrity of all personal identifiable information that we come into contact with as part of interactions with clients, vendors, subcontractors and other third parties."
Sa also cited the confidentiality section of the GEI employee handbook. It urges staff to comply with "confidentiality agreements or ethical walls," and where those don't exist, "remain cautious about sharing client information with fellow employees."
The document also discourages staff from sharing sensitive data in public places and with "friends, relatives, employees of competitors or subcontractors."
It’s important to note, however, that property owners can opt out of the inspection, said Claire Walker, the county's transportation and engineering project manager.
“We use GEI, who are a geotechnical consultant, to perform pre-condition surveys of any buildings and wells in the area of construction,” Walker said. “We do this ahead of any major capital construction project. They will reach out to home and building owners in the area to ask permission to do a pre-condition survey, which is voluntary.
"GEI does try to make three points of contact with the owner before deciding that they have refused the survey. If permission is granted, GEI will make notes and take photos of the building’s exterior, interior, and where applicable to do a baseline assessment of the well," Walker added.
Also, two newsletters detailing the process were delivered to residents in the area who were identified as being candidates for the pre-construction survey. They were sent out before GEI started connecting directly with homeowners.
“These inspections are done to establish a baseline condition before construction,” Walker said. “If the owner thinks that construction has damaged their building or well, we then perform a post-construction inspection to see if the damage was caused by construction, or if it was pre-existing. The notes and photos are put into a report by GEI, but the county and the contractor (Graham Bros. Construction) never see that report unless damage is reported by the owner. We don’t share the information with anyone.”
If his house is damaged by construction, Thomas believes he’ll have a better case for compensation by denying GEI access.
“It would be to court and it’s much easier for them to say it was already damaged,” he said. “The critical parts of the property, I did a video of. I was trying to play ball. I need that (policy) before I can let (them) in.
"The county hired the company to collect very invasive information. It concerned me. Do I have a new baby? Where do I keep my car keys? Do I have a gun safe? There’s a litany of things available from those photos," Thomas added.
This all feeds into the work planned for the County Road 4 and 4th Line intersection reconstruction project. The proposed construction limits are on County Road 4 from Greg Gemmell Way to 400 metres south of Meadowland Street, and along 4th Line from Valleyview Drive to 200 metres east of County Road 4.
Work includes upgrades to stormwater pipes and retaining walls, new concrete curbs, gutters and sidewalks, and asphalt paving. County Road 4 will also be widened from two lanes to four, and traffic signals are to be installed.
Construction will run until late November. Then there will be a winter shutdown, with the remainder of work finished in spring and summer of 2025.
Thomas said he’s not opposed to the project, per se, though he did express some concern over possible speeding that may occur once work is completed.
“People are going to be able to really fly; we’ll have a four-lane highway through Churchill,” he said.
For more information on the project, visit simcoe.ca.
