FIPA continues its coalition work signing on with other civil society groups to demand proper consideration for AI regulation. 45 leading civil society organizations, experts and academics released an open letter to Industry, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) Minister François-Philippe Champagne outlining key concerns with the current draft of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), currently wrapped into […]

FIPA is a member of the Right2YourFace Coalition. Facial recognition technology (FRT) is a type of biometric recognition technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify individuals through their facial features. FRT functions by extracting biometric information based on key facial features and makes comparisons between live and stored biometric templates. Facial recognition software produces […]

Premier Eby’s government claims to be increasing transparency but is using a paywall to prevent release of information he admits is in the public interest.  In response to an FOI request filed by the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, the Government of British Columbia has moved to place key documents related to the release […]

FIPA will always maintain and recognize that timeliness is a core performance measure in freedom of information. Access delayed is access denied.  We also feel the need to avoid the insanity of repeating the same actions and expecting different results. Timeliness is not the only factor.  Our fundamental question: How do we evaluate the performance […]

For the past 30 years. FIPA’s advocacy has focused on the timeliness of the freedom of information process. We have been informed by the belief that access delayed is access denied. Unfortunately, little has changed or improved. Governments fail to meet deadlines, civil society and users complain, the next verse is the same as the […]

ETHI is short for the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. This Committee has been holding meetings on the Access to Information and Privacy System. President Mike Larsen presented FIPAs perspective on these important topics. Tuesday, April 18, 2023 Ken Rubin, David Matas and Mike Larsen made statements and, with Michael Wenig answered […]

2024.02.02 – The ruling is in read our review here. 2023.04.18 – Originally published In the case of Attorney General for Ontario v. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, et al. File No. 40078 FIPA was pleased to work with Sean Hern K.C. to intervene and fight to keep the public interest paramount. You might […]

As part of our efforts to better define the problems facing access and freedom of information in Canada we do conduct periodic scans abroad. The United States has a very advanced and high volume infrastructure acting to provide access to information with freedom of information. While varying by state there are bodies that research and […]

We’ve built a Privacy Management Program Training Certificate focused on helping the smallest of organizations move towards better privacy practice.   FIPA’s education program has always focused on ensuring people have access to the materials they need to make informed decisions about access and privacy rights.  People working in public bodies and the private sector need to […]

There’s a lot going on that impacts access to information and privacy. Our law reform efforts are built upon the foundation of our research, education and assistance work in these areas. To keep us current, accurate, and relevant we’ve developed a repeatable system of legal reviews and annual content updates.   Last fall we relaunched our […]

The B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) has been made aware of troubling requirements being imposed by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affair Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) on First Nations researchers applying for access to those departments’ records for the purposes of validating historical claims against the federal government.   FIPA supports […]

If you have ever sought out the access to information or privacy news stories in the current Canadian news cycle in one spot, we know there are some barriers. We’re working to address some of those.  Our goal is to walk the talk, if we redistribute or publish news stories, we want to recognize the […]