News Category

News Category


Release June 24, 2011: New website will help public navigate mounting confusion over health privacy rights in BC

Announcement of the launch of FIPA’s new health privacy website, www.healthinfoprivacy.bc.ca Download release

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Huge win for privacy in Supreme Court, federal justification for online spying unconstitutional

Provincial private sector privacy laws will also be affected The Supreme Court of Canada has blown away the underpinnings of the federal government’s online spying legislation, but the effects will be much wider.In a decision handed down last week, the Court found that contrary to the statements by a number of government officials and lawyers, […]

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Access in the Academy: Bringing FOI and ATI to Academic Research

Access in the Academy, developed by the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association and Mike Larsen of Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Instructor, Dept. of Criminology), and generously funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia, is a brand new educational resource that provides a unique and practical look at how researchers, students, and others in the […]

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BC Freedom of Information request form letter

An example letter for making a provincial Freedom of Information Request (in British Columbia). Download

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Access to Information request form letter

An example letter for making a federal Access to Information Request. Download

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Release May 15 2014: Charter challenge to BC Election Act continues

FIPA continues to fight for freedom of expression by appealing the Supreme Court of BC’s decision in the Provincial Election Act case.   Download release  

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Release May 09 2014: Supreme Court decision a defeat for access to information users

Supreme Court of Canada decision on the use of the section 13 ‘policy advice’ exemption in Ontario’s FIPPA, widens ‘black hole’ for government information.   Download release

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Release April 30 2014: FIPA to undertake major study on how our cars watch us

Federal Privacy Commissioner’s Office awards grant to FIPA for ground-breaking research on vehicle telemetry.   Download release

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FIPA undertakes major new project on automotive telematics and privacy

Thanks to funding from the federal Privacy Commissioner’s Contributions Program, FIPA is launching a year-long study to examine the effect of electronic monitoring systems in our vehicles, on our privacy rights and consumer choice. Our vehicles are no longer simple mechanical devices which provide us with transportation, but electronic platforms capable of remarkable feats. This […]

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FIPA 2013 Annual Report

This is the 2013 Annual Report for the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association. The report was released at the Annual General Meeting in April 2014, which was held at the YWCA in downtown Vancouver. You can view the report in your browser or download a copy as a pdf by clicking on the link below. Download […]

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Transparency groups urge PM Harper to shut Access to Information Act loopholes

In a letter sent today, BC FIPA, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), and Newspapers Canada are urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to bring the PMO and Ministers’ offices under the Access to Information Act, after Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault identified three ministerial staff as having interfered with a number of ATI requests. The letter signed […]

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BC Supreme Court says Election Act gag law infringes Charter, but is justified

In a decision released today, Justice Bruce Cohen of the BC Supreme Court declined to strike down provisions of the BC Elections Act that infringe constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression because he found they were justified in a free and democratic society. FIPA brought the constitutional challenge last year, after attempts to persuade the […]

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