BC Government still fighting release of IBM contract

The government of British Columbia has appealed a decision by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner ordering release of the complete IBM Workplace Services contract.

The government’s petition for judicial review will be their second trip to BC Supreme Court in an attempt to withhold all or part of the $500 million IBM contract.

They were unsuccessful the first time when they argued in 2009 that not a single page should be released until every single issue was resolved concerning portions of the contract they were withholding under the freedom of information act’s ‘exceptions’ to release.

Read the 2009 Judicial review decision

Vincent Gogolek, executive director of FIPA, said the return to court is a waste of taxpayers’ money and shows the lengths the government will go to block release of information.

“These contracts should be put up on the web as a matter of course,” Gogolek said. “The Commissioner has said so, FIPA says so, and the time has come for the government to do so. If they don’t we will.”

FIPA has received a copy of the contract, minus the parts that are still being contested under s.15(1)(l) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“Security of any property or system”), and personal information protected under s.22 (which FIPA was not seeking).