Notification of Ransomware attack on September 8, 2026

LAKEWOOD MEDICAL CENTRE

NOTICE OF PRIVACY AND CYBERSECURITY INCIDENT

September 23, 2026

Dear Patient/Parent/Guardian:

Lakewood Medical Centre is writing to inform you of a cybersecurity incident involving a computer server located at our clinic that contained certain patient information.

What Happened

On or about September 8,2026, Lakewood Medical Center became aware that a computer server had been affected by a ransomware/cybersecurity attack. The affected server contained a legacy electronic medical record currently system used by one physician at the clinic and formerly used by all of Lakewood Medical Center’s physicians.

Upon discovering the incident, access to the affected system was restricted, and steps were taken to contain and investigate the incident. Cybersecurity professionals were engaged to assist with assessing the affected systems and determining the nature and extent of the incident.

At this time our investigation has determined that unauthorized access to certain patient information occurred; our investigation remains ongoing, and we cannot exclude the possibility that patient information was accessed or acquired by an unauthorized party.

We are notifying you because your information, or your child’s information, was contained within the affected system and therefore may have been involved in this incident.

What Information Was Involved

Depending upon the patient’s individual record, the affected information may have included:

• Name

• PHIN

• Manitoba Personal Health Identification Number (PHIN);

• medical history and clinical notes;

• diagnoses and treatment information;

• medications, laboratory or diagnostic information; and

• other information contained within the patient’s medical record.

What We Have Done

Lakewood Medical Center takes the privacy and security of patient information seriously. Following discovery of the incident, we took steps to contain the affected systems and prevent further unauthorized access.

We have also undertaken a review of our information-security practices and have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, additional safeguards to reduce the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future. These measures include enhanced cybersecurity monitoring, password resets, credential changes, network security improvements, security assessments, staff cybersecurity training, improved backup procedures, and migration away from the affected legacy system.

The physician whose records were maintained on the affected legacy system is transitioning patient records to the clinic’s current electronic medical record platform which will no longer be stored on our servers.

Lakewood Medical Center has also reported the privacy breach to the Manitoba Ombudsman in accordance with applicable requirements under Manitoba’s Personal Health Information Act (PHIA).

What You Can Do

We recommend that patients remain alert for unusual or unexpected communications requesting personal or health information.

Please be cautious about unsolicited telephone calls, emails, or text messages requesting personal information, passwords, financial information, or other confidential information. Do not provide sensitive information in response to an unexpected communication without first confirming that the request is legitimate.

You may also wish to take additional steps to protect your identity, including steps to mitigate financial risk, such as: contacting your financial institution(s) for their recommendations on how to protect financial records, monitoring your credit reports, and consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report.

Questions or Concerns

We understand that patients may have questions or concerns regarding this incident.

Please contact:

Monica Roa Privacy Officer
Lakewood Medical Center
34 Lakewood Blvd. Winnipeg, MB, R2J 2M6
Telephone: 204-257-4900 Ext 245
Email: administration@lakewoodmedical.ca

You may also contact the Manitoba Ombudsman if you have questions about your privacy rights or wish to make a complaint regarding the handling of your personal health information.

We regret that this incident occurred and apologize for the concern it may cause. Protecting the confidentiality and security of our patients’ personal health information is important to Lakewood Medical Center, and we are taking steps to strengthen our safeguards following this incident.

Sincerely,

Dr. Taras M. Gwozdecki BSc. MD

Medical Director
Lakewood Medical Center

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