Nova Scotia MLA Rick Burns says he was a victim of blackmail

Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative MLA Rick Burns says he and his wife were recently victims of blackmail.

In a written statement, Burns said criminals hacked his email and asked for money. When his family refused, the hackers access files on Burns’s devices and shared “personal images and video” of him and his wife.

“To have such intimate images accessed and released is a gross violation of our privacy and is completely unacceptable,” Burns said. “This is bigger than me. This is a gross violation of my wife’s privacy, and we are both victims of a grotesque crime.

“I realize that being an elected official comes with increased scrutiny. No one signs up for having their privacy violated in this manner and no politician’s partner deserves to be targeted in this way.”

Burns said law enforcement is investigating the matter.

Burns was first elected to represent Hammonds Plains-Lucasville in 2024. He is the ministerial assistant for the Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions.

In a separate statement, Premier Tim Houston said he was “deeply troubled” to learn about the “criminal blackmail and extortion scheme.”

“When criminals target public officials with blackmail, they are attempting to compromise the people Nova Scotians have chosen to represent them and shake the very core of our democracy,” Houston said. “We cannot and will not accept a climate where serving your community in public life makes you and your family a target for extortion.”

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