The Canadian Press reports:
Nova Scotia legislation that aims to protect personal health records but also raises fears that it’s too restrictive on the media has passed.
Fred Vallance-Jones, a journalism professor at the University of King’s College in Halifax, has said the law could see journalists face fines of up to $10,000 or six months in jail if they seek information from hospital officials when patients haven’t given permission to release information about their status.
He said, for example, that a reporter asking a nurse in a hospital hallway whether the premier broke his leg might end up breaking the law.
The opposition Liberals and Conservatives agreed with his objections and raised them during third reading of the bill last Thursday, but still voted for it.
NDP Health Minister Maureen MacDonald says her legal counsel doesn’t believe the legislation will be used to prosecute journalists. She says the intent is simply to protect privacy rather than restrict reporting on the health care system.
Read more on CTV.ca.