The last couple of weeks have seen question period in the BC Legislature occupied by the allegations of a whistle-blower accusing the Minister of Citizens’ Services, Jinny Sims, of wrongdoings that include circumventing the freedom of information laws that she oversees. Compounding this issue are two things: The first is that Jinny Sims apologized only […]

In this special edition episode of our Data Subjects podcast, we revisit our Policing Info World conference. On May 23, 2019, we co-hosted a conference that explored the data behind crime, law enforcement, and surveillance. Along with department of criminology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the BC Civil Liberties Association, we heard from experts in law enforcement, […]

Join us on June 27, 2019 for our 2019 Annual General Meeting. The meeting will take place at the Vancouver Public Library’s Central Branch (350 W Georgia St.) in the Alma VanDusen Room at 6:30 PM. We’re excited to welcome Bryan Carney from The Tyee as the guest speaker. His reporting covers freedom of information […]

Vancouver, May 17, 2019 – Question period in the BC Legislature this week has been occupied by the accusations of a whistleblower who claims that the Minister of Citizens’ Services, Jinny Sims, has been using her personal email address to conduct government business in order to circumvent Freedom of Information laws. This is particularly troublesome […]

This episode continues our story on the history of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act by exploring what’s gone wrong since the Act was passed. We begin in the year 1996, when a new NDP government under Premier Glen Clark is taking office in BC. You’ll hear about why former Premier Clark […]

Vancouver, April 1, 2019 — A statement released yesterday by the Ministry of Citizens’ Services, which claims that “new legislative changes improve transparency and accountability for British Columbians,” is a significant misrepresentation of an effective duty to document and is a distraction from the pressing reforms that are necessary for BC’s Freedom of Information and […]

On this episode of the show, we go back to a time before British Columbia had freedom of information or privacy laws—to the year 1990—and find out what it was like to request information from government. Then, we find out how a small group of dedicated individuals were able to advocate, draft, and ultimately bring […]

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Dr. Richard Rosenberg, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Computer Science of UBC, former President of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, and lifelong advocate for privacy rights. Below are messages about Richard from FIPA’s President, Mike Larsen, and former Executive Directors, […]

Download the full March 2019 Bulletin, or use the links below to read individual articles online. In this issue: Introducing: Data Subjects, a new podcast from FIPA Update on Whistleblower legislation Book your FOI 101 now! Welcoming a new board member Find more issues of the Bulletin here.

We are pleased to introduce Nazli Jelveh as the newest member of FIPA’s Board of Directors. After completing her undergraduate studies in mathematics, she attended Osgoode Hall Law School and obtained her JD in 2018. Currently, she works as an articling law student at a boutique law firm in downtown Vancouver and will soon be […]

We offer Freedom of Information workshops to anyone looking to learn basic and practical skills needed to start tackling their own FOI projects. Workshops are entirely FREE and can be focused on the foundational knowledge of FOI through our 101 workshops, or the more advanced intricacies found in our 201 version. Send us a message […]

Last November, we published Carroll Anne Boydell’s analysis of BC’s new whistleblower legislation – the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) – and how it compares to international best practice standards. The study, which is currently available to download from our website, examines different legislations containing protections for whistleblowers who disclose wrongdoing in the province and […]