VANCOUVER - Fifty-five people who applied for a passport have been told to be on the lookout for identity theft after their passport applications disappeared en route to the federal government's processing facility.
Their applications were among a total of 61 that were lost, some after being handled by a Kelowna Service Canada facility and some after being handled by a Canada Post outlet in the city.
All the applications were sent to Passport Canada's processing facility in Quebec via Canada's Post's Priority Courier in March.
Sebastien Bois, a spokesman for Passport Canada, said applicants have been warned about the identity theft possibility because the applications included supporting documents such as birth certificates and other personal information.
"You could reveal your bank account, credit card and other financial statements," Bois said.
He said if applicants discover something amiss, they should contact their bank.
John Caines, a Canada Post spokesman, said the agency is taking the matter seriously and has launched an investigation with Passport Canada, the RCMP and Service Canada.
But he said it's premature to think the passport applications and other documents could be used to steal someone's identity.
"You're really jumping to conclusions that people have taken this information and done something with it," he said.
"To our knowledge we've not heard of anything that's been compromised."
Caines noted Canada Post delivers 40 million pieces of mail every day and that its courier system is secure.
"We handle thousands of passport applications and passport returns and nothing happens," he said from Ottawa.
Caines said he knows about only one previous incident of missing passport applications packages. However, three cities were involved -- Lethbridge and Medicine Hat in southern Alberta and Cranbrook, B.C.
He said the investigation into those incidents is ongoing.
Bois said the agency wasn't able to contact the remaining six applicants.
