BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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2025 Access Assessment the Latest
While there are some positive elements, it is ‘unlikely’ that most public bodies in British Columbia are meeting the public’s high expectations around their information management. This finding originates from a FIPA review of responses to multiple freedom of information requests.
From President Mike Larsen’s perspective, “You can’t really have a transparent, effective, efficient, and secure system if it is poorly organized or if personnel lack guidance on how to respond to information requests.”
There’s also an inherent contradiction per FIPA Executive Director Jason Woywada, who sees that “Public bodies want to gain efficiency while they are failing to prioritize and manage the very information infrastructure that would enable them find and realize those efficiencies.”
In the Fall of 2024, FIPA commissioned leading independent market research company IPSOS to poll public opinion on information management in public bodies. Information management is a concept that describes the policies and procedures that shape how public bodies organize, retain, and locate the vast amounts of information that they produce as part of their work. The poll results show there is strong agreement around what is expected of public bodies with respect to accountability and governance, records management, accessibility, and fees. The results also show that when those expectations aren’t met, it is important to consider several changes. You can read the results of that polling here.
Since 2023, FIPA has been engaged in original empirical studies of these same topics. A more fulsome review is underway as part of Spencer Izen’s research with the Access Regimes: Social Studies of Recordkeeping, Bureaucracy, and Secrecy under Freedom of Information Law, which is in the analysis phase. FIPA will present those results and recommendations in the coming months. In the short term, FIPA is pleased to share a separate evaluation of how likely it is that BC public bodies are living up to the public’s expectations, drawing from the originally collected data.
We’ve compiled the responses to the freedom of information requests filed to all public bodies subject to both the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and Information Management Act (BC’s recordkeeping law). Our requests focused on the internal policies and procedures that public bodies used to translate their legal obligations under these laws into everyday practices. We then reviewed those responses against the polling questions on a three-level scale to consider whether it is likely, unlikely, or uncertain that the information presented gave us confidence in the public body’s ability to match public expectations.
FIPA’s position is that generally, the public sector has significant work to do in managing records, as well as refining and developing the systems to disclose them.
There are individual elements in many responses that are positive. That said, there are significant gaps. The public expressed high expectations, and many public bodies lack the instruments (i.e., policies, procedures, manuals) the legislation reasonably requires, and the public expects. For that reason, it is unlikely that most public bodies meet public expectations.
This review provides insight and highlights gaps. We are confident the ongoing analysis and great work by Spencer Izen with Access Regimes: Social Studies of Recordkeeping, Bureaucracy, and Secrecy under Freedom of Information Law, will provide practitioners and public sector executives with an evidence-based assessment of gaps, and well-supported recommendations for change.
Development of FIPA’s dedicated FOI activities:
The information below links to the requests made, the public bodies who received them, and the release package FIPA received in response.
Broader Public Sector
2024 BC Broader Public Sector Requests
- Provincial Agricultural Land Commission Package: PAL – PS
- Board of Examiners (Local Government Act) Package : BOE – PS
- British Columbia Arts Council Package : BAC – PS
- British Columbia Emergency Health Services Authority Package : NA
- British Columbia Housing Management Commission Package : BCH – PS (large file)
- Innovate BC Package : IBC – PS
- British Columbia Lottery Corporation Package : BLC – PS (large file)
- British Columbia Pavilion Corporation Package : BPC – PS
- British Columbia Securities Commission Package : BSC – PS PENDING
- British Columbia Transit Corporation Package : BTC – PS
- British Columbia Transportation Financing Authority Package : TFA – PS
- Building Code Appeal Board Package : BCA – PS
- Columbia Power Corporation Package : CPC – PS
- Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board Package : CAL – PS
- Community Living British Columbia Package : CLB – PS
- Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation of British Columbia Package : CUD – PS
- Destination British Columbia Package : DBC – PS
- Environmental Appeal Board Package : EAB – PS
- British Columbia Financial Services Authority Package : FSA – PS
- Financial Services Tribunal Package : FST – PS
- First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council Package : FPC – PS
- Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission Package: NA
- Forest Appeals Commission Package : FAC – PS
- Forest Practices Board Package : FPB – PS
- Health Professions Review Board Package : HPR – PS
- Hospital Appeal Board Package : HAB – PS
- Independent Investigations Office Package : IIO – PS
- Justice Institute of British Columbia Package : JIB – PS
- Knowledge Network Corporation Package : KNC – PS
- Medical Services Commission Package : MSC – PS
- Oil and Gas Appeal Tribunal (Energy Resource Appeal Tribunal) Package : ERT – PS
- Oil and Gas Commission Package : BER – PS (large file)
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board Secretary Package : PRB – PS
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Vancouver Coastal) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Fraser Valley) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Island) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Northern) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Interior) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (PHSA) Package : NA
- Provincial Health Services Authority Package : PHA – PS PENDING
- Royal British Columbia Museum Package : RBC – PS
- Skilled Trades BC Appeal Board Package : STB – PS
- Transportation Investment Corporation Package : TIC – PS
Core Government
2024 BC Core Government Requests
- Ministry of Agriculture and Food Package : MAF – CG
- Ministry of Attorney General Package : MAG – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Children and Family Development Package : MCF – CG
- Ministry of Citizens’ Services Package : MCS – CG (large file)
- Ministry of Education and Child Care Package : MEC – CG
- Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Package : MEM – CG
- Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation Package : MEI – CG (large file)
- Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy Package : MCC – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Finance Package : MFN – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Forests Package : MFR – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Health Package : MHT – CG (large file)
- Ministry of Housing Package : MHG – CG
- Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Package : MIR – CG
- Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Package : MJE – CG
- Ministry of Labour Package : MLR – CG
- Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions Package : MMH – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Municipal Affairs Package : MMA – CG
- Ministry of Office of the Premier Package : OOP – CG
- Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Package : MPE – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Package : MPS – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Package : MSD – CG
- Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Package : MTA – CG
- Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Package : MTI – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Package : MWL – CG
Note: The data for this work is based on research conducted for FIPA’s larger project Access Regimes: Social Studies of Recordkeeping, Bureaucracy, and Secrecy under Freedom of Information Law. The full findings and recommendations of this research project will be released in the near future.
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While there are some positive elements, it is ‘unlikely’ that most public bodies in British Columbia are meeting the public’s high expectations around their information management. This finding originates from a FIPA review of responses to multiple freedom of information requests.
From President Mike Larsen’s perspective, “You can’t really have a transparent, effective, efficient, and secure system if it is poorly organized or if personnel lack guidance on how to respond to information requests.”
There’s also an inherent contradiction per FIPA Executive Director Jason Woywada, who sees that “Public bodies want to gain efficiency while they are failing to prioritize and manage the very information infrastructure that would enable them find and realize those efficiencies.”
In the Fall of 2024, FIPA commissioned leading independent market research company IPSOS to poll public opinion on information management in public bodies. Information management is a concept that describes the policies and procedures that shape how public bodies organize, retain, and locate the vast amounts of information that they produce as part of their work. The poll results show there is strong agreement around what is expected of public bodies with respect to accountability and governance, records management, accessibility, and fees. The results also show that when those expectations aren’t met, it is important to consider several changes. You can read the results of that polling here.
Since 2023, FIPA has been engaged in original empirical studies of these same topics. A more fulsome review is underway as part of Spencer Izen’s research with the Access Regimes: Social Studies of Recordkeeping, Bureaucracy, and Secrecy under Freedom of Information Law, which is in the analysis phase. FIPA will present those results and recommendations in the coming months. In the short term, FIPA is pleased to share a separate evaluation of how likely it is that BC public bodies are living up to the public’s expectations, drawing from the originally collected data.
We’ve compiled the responses to the freedom of information requests filed to all public bodies subject to both the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and Information Management Act (BC’s recordkeeping law). Our requests focused on the internal policies and procedures that public bodies used to translate their legal obligations under these laws into everyday practices. We then reviewed those responses against the polling questions on a three-level scale to consider whether it is likely, unlikely, or uncertain that the information presented gave us confidence in the public body’s ability to match public expectations.
FIPA’s position is that generally, the public sector has significant work to do in managing records, as well as refining and developing the systems to disclose them.
There are individual elements in many responses that are positive. That said, there are significant gaps. The public expressed high expectations, and many public bodies lack the instruments (i.e., policies, procedures, manuals) the legislation reasonably requires, and the public expects. For that reason, it is unlikely that most public bodies meet public expectations.
This review provides insight and highlights gaps. We are confident the ongoing analysis and great work by Spencer Izen with Access Regimes: Social Studies of Recordkeeping, Bureaucracy, and Secrecy under Freedom of Information Law, will provide practitioners and public sector executives with an evidence-based assessment of gaps, and well-supported recommendations for change.
Development of FIPA’s dedicated FOI activities:
The information below links to the requests made, the public bodies who received them, and the release package FIPA received in response.
Broader Public Sector
2024 BC Broader Public Sector Requests
- Provincial Agricultural Land Commission Package: PAL – PS
- Board of Examiners (Local Government Act) Package : BOE – PS
- British Columbia Arts Council Package : BAC – PS
- British Columbia Emergency Health Services Authority Package : NA
- British Columbia Housing Management Commission Package : BCH – PS (large file)
- Innovate BC Package : IBC – PS
- British Columbia Lottery Corporation Package : BLC – PS (large file)
- British Columbia Pavilion Corporation Package : BPC – PS
- British Columbia Securities Commission Package : BSC – PS PENDING
- British Columbia Transit Corporation Package : BTC – PS
- British Columbia Transportation Financing Authority Package : TFA – PS
- Building Code Appeal Board Package : BCA – PS
- Columbia Power Corporation Package : CPC – PS
- Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board Package : CAL – PS
- Community Living British Columbia Package : CLB – PS
- Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation of British Columbia Package : CUD – PS
- Destination British Columbia Package : DBC – PS
- Environmental Appeal Board Package : EAB – PS
- British Columbia Financial Services Authority Package : FSA – PS
- Financial Services Tribunal Package : FST – PS
- First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Council Package : FPC – PS
- Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission Package: NA
- Forest Appeals Commission Package : FAC – PS
- Forest Practices Board Package : FPB – PS
- Health Professions Review Board Package : HPR – PS
- Hospital Appeal Board Package : HAB – PS
- Independent Investigations Office Package : IIO – PS
- Justice Institute of British Columbia Package : JIB – PS
- Knowledge Network Corporation Package : KNC – PS
- Medical Services Commission Package : MSC – PS
- Oil and Gas Appeal Tribunal (Energy Resource Appeal Tribunal) Package : ERT – PS
- Oil and Gas Commission Package : BER – PS (large file)
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board Secretary Package : PRB – PS
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Vancouver Coastal) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Fraser Valley) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Island) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Northern) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (Interior) Package : NA
- Patient Care and Quality Review Board (PHSA) Package : NA
- Provincial Health Services Authority Package : PHA – PS PENDING
- Royal British Columbia Museum Package : RBC – PS
- Skilled Trades BC Appeal Board Package : STB – PS
- Transportation Investment Corporation Package : TIC – PS
Core Government
2024 BC Core Government Requests
- Ministry of Agriculture and Food Package : MAF – CG
- Ministry of Attorney General Package : MAG – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Children and Family Development Package : MCF – CG
- Ministry of Citizens’ Services Package : MCS – CG (large file)
- Ministry of Education and Child Care Package : MEC – CG
- Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Package : MEM – CG
- Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation Package : MEI – CG (large file)
- Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy Package : MCC – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Finance Package : MFN – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Forests Package : MFR – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Health Package : MHT – CG (large file)
- Ministry of Housing Package : MHG – CG
- Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Package : MIR – CG
- Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Package : MJE – CG
- Ministry of Labour Package : MLR – CG
- Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions Package : MMH – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Municipal Affairs Package : MMA – CG
- Ministry of Office of the Premier Package : OOP – CG
- Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Package : MPE – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Package : MPS – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Package : MSD – CG
- Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Package : MTA – CG
- Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Package : MTI – CG PENDING
- Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Package : MWL – CG
Note: The data for this work is based on research conducted for FIPA’s larger project Access Regimes: Social Studies of Recordkeeping, Bureaucracy, and Secrecy under Freedom of Information Law. The full findings and recommendations of this research project will be released in the near future.
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