The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has ruled that the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) must disclose commercial and financial details of three outsourcing contracts in response to FOI requests. While issuing a series of orders today, BC’s new Information and Privacy Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham stated, “These three orders are the latest in […]

In this issue: Meet BC’s new Information and Privacy Commissioner FOIPP Act review report a mixed bag FIPA report blasts massive data-matching scheme Legal Actions: Are submissions to government consultations ‘policy advice’? BC government loses again in attempt to keep big contracts secret Dowload the bulletin (pdf).

Heritage Minister James Moore accuses ‘radical extremists’ of opposing his proposed copyright legislation. FIPA’s Vincent Gogolek wonders if the minister is one of the mysterious ‘Agents of Foreign Influence’ cited by CSIS director Richard Fadden – certainly he’s under the influence of American cultural industries, their lobbyists and possibly the U.S. government. Open Letter To: […]

Two environmental groups say they won a six-year battle over access to documents on sea lice, only to have the government change the rules and refuse the information for their next request. In 2004, Ecojustice and the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation requested sea lice infestation information from 2002 and 2003 but the government wouldn’t […]

Les Leyne Times Colonist June 22, 2010 When the representative for children and youth went to court last month during an argument over access to cabinet documents, Children’s Minister Mary Polak condemned the move. She expressed dismay about the “unfortunate waste of scarce resources.” The representative, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, was portrayed as wasting taxpayers’ money […]

BC FIPA presented its submission to the Alberta Legislative Standing Committee on Health review of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). The submission consists of an extensive report prepared by journalist and researcher, Stanley L. Tromp. Based on a comparative analysis of FOI laws around the world it makes 79 recommendations […]

The unanimous report handed down by the Special Committee reviewing BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act has a lot of positive recommendations, but a few recommendations could be huge problems for FOI and privacy rights in this province. First, the good stuff. The committee has repeated a number of the recommendations of […]

FIPA has asked BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner to investigate a new government order requiring Crown corporations to notify the provincial government in advance when any information is to be released in response to freedom of information requests. In the letter requesting the investigation, FIPA executive director Darrell Evans states the “requirement gives us a […]

Read about all the ways that FIPA is pursuing its mission to protect and advance the freedom of information and privacy rights of people in BC and throughout Canada in Annual Report for 2009 (pdf).

Three BC watchdog groups are commending the BC government for increasing transparency by bringing the BC Ferries corporation back under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPP Act). BC Ferries was removed from the provincial freedom of information law in 2003 by the Liberal government as part of a massive re-organization of […]

From the Tyee The British Columbia government’s push for greater power to collect and widely share citizens’ personal information should be refused given the province’s dismal recent record at protecting privacy, acting information and privacy commissioner Paul Fraser on Wednesday told a committee reviewing British Columbia’s freedom of information and protection of privacy act. “The […]

Charities, non-profit groups and privacy advocates have joined forces to issue a critical report on the $180 million Integrated Case Management (ICM) project the BC government announced in February’s Throne Speech. The planned ICM system will collect comprehensive personal data from hundreds of independent community service organizations which are contracted to provide government services, in […]