VICTORIA – British Columbia’s privacy commissioner says tougher rules are needed to stop police from releasing sensitive personal information about people beyond criminal convictions to their prospective employers.

In a report released today, Elizabeth Denham says government and police boards should immediately stop providing mental health information to employers as part of the information released in information checks.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner has called this report on the use of police information checks in B.C. her most important ever.

Denham says thousands of police information checks are used by employers and volunteer groups every year in the hiring process and the information in these checks, which often goes beyond criminal records, can have lasting and profound impacts on a person’s privacy.

Her report says the government should adopt legislation prohibiting the release of non-conviction information for employment positions outside of those working with children and other vulnerable people.

Denham’s report says B.C.’s police information checks reveal more information about individuals than most other jurisdictions.