Media Release A small step towards open and transparent government Vancouver, February 5, 2019 – The B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association is pleased with the recommendations made by the province’s top watchdogs to bring the Legislative Assembly of B.C. under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Signed by Information […]

By Carlo Javier It was fitting to end Data Privacy Day on Jan. 28 with a talk called Privacy in Peril. Organized by the Vancouver Public Library and the SFU Library, the event saw Mike Larsen of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) and Micheal Vonn of the BC Civil Liberties Association […]

Media Release Scandal at Legislative Assembly demonstrates need for Law Reform Vancouver, January 24, 2019 – The need for reforming British Columbia’s outdated Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) is evidenced by the recent scandal concerning misconduct and lack of oversight at B.C.’s Legislative Assembly. Allegations made by house speaker Darryl Plecas […]

Caution is necessary as artificial intelligence continues to shift the Canadian digital economy Artificial intelligence has long been reshaping the way we live and this summer marked an important stride in Canada’s path to an even more digitally-driven economy and government. From Jan. 19 to Sept. 21, Minister Navdeep Bains of Innovation, Science, and Economic […]

*** Update: As of December 3rd, 2018, one week following the publication of this blog post, and a couple of weeks after more than 400 Canadians exercised their privacy rights and requested their personal information through an OpenMedia campaign that FIPA assisted with, Statistics Canada has announced that they are suspending their practice of obtaining […]

How the government’s action regarding the long-overdue FIPPA reform reflects our collective attitudes towards political issues By Carlo Javier We have an interesting relationship with our rights – especially those dealing with our freedom to access information and privacy. On one hand, conversations around such issues have certainly become more welcome in the general Canadian […]

MEDIA RELEASE November 13, 2018 New study outlines the critical importance of whistleblowers to uncovering wrongdoing Vancouver, November 13, 2018 — A report commissioned by the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association posits that while both federal and provincial legislation regarding the protection of whistleblowers exhibits positive advances, there are still necessary steps to take […]

Best Practices in Whistleblower Legislation, prepared by Carroll Anne Boydell, instructor of criminology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University on behalf of the British Columbia Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, compares BC’s new whistleblower legislation, the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA), to international best practices standards. Best practice principles exist for laws, regulations, and procedures aimed […]

MEDIA RELEASE November 5, 2018 Statistics Canada Requesting Financial Information of Canadians VANCOUVER, November 5, 2018 – The recent media reports of Statistics Canada seeking to collect the financial information of Canadians in order to build a personal information bank—and the report that Statistics Canada has already received personal financial data from one of Canada’s […]

WHISTLEBLOWER REPORT & NATIONAL DIGITAL AND DATA SUBMISSION FIPA PROVIDES FEEDBACK ON THE NEW PIDA AND TO CANADA’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY Over the past few months, Dr. Carroll Boydell has been working on a BC FIPA research project comparing provincial and federal whistleblower legislation to international best practices. During the course of her research, she […]

On Thursday, September 27th, FIPA hosted the 2018 BC Information Summit at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver. This year’s theme explored how changing perceptions around the right to know and the right to one’s privacy are being shaped. The conference assembled a range of experts from varying backgrounds to look at these developments and discuss […]

  OPEN LETTER TO PREMIER HORGAN Reform of Freedom of Information and Privacy Legislation During this year’s Right to Know Week, FIPA sent a joint letter to Premiere John Horgan and Minister Jinny Sims calling for immediate action to reform and update BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Citing various studies, […]