FIPA has been fighting against free speech restrictions in BC’s Election Act for years, and that battle will culminate in our upcoming appeal in the Supreme Court of Canada. This is an important case for freedom of speech during BC elections – and for setting the standard the government must meet in order to impose […]

It may be hard to believe, but Canada’s Access to Information Act (ATIA) contains a black hole where requested information can disappear without a trace. And that black hole is being fed more and more government information. In her annual report for 2015, Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault reported a surge in the use of section […]

FIPA recently commissioned some public opinion polling on BC’s freedom of information system. We worked with Ipsos, a leading independent market research company, to develop and pose four questions related to some of our key recommendations to the Special Committee reviewing BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). A total of 802 […]

FIPA recently commissioned some public opinion polling on BC’s freedom of information system. We worked with Ipsos, a leading independent market research company, to develop and pose four questions related to some of our key recommendations to the Special Committee reviewing BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). A total of 802 […]

BC FIPA-sponsored poll shows massive support for key reforms to information law VANCOUVER, February 1, 2016 – Polling results released today indicate British Columbians are overwhelmingly in favour of government officials having a ‘duty to document’, among other key reforms to access to information law. The Ipsos poll, commissioned by the BC Freedom of Information […]

FIPA wants Access to Information Act loophole closed VANCOUVER, December 8, 2015 – The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) is deeply concerned by figures released today that show a significant increase in the use of the “Cabinet confidences” exclusion to deny records to Canadians requesting them. In her annual report released this afternoon, […]

FIPA is celebrating a step forward in our battle for free expression during elections in British Columbia. On Monday, the Supreme Court of Canada granted FIPA leave to appeal the BC Court of Appeal’s split decision to uphold third-party ‘advertising’ restrictions in the provincial Election Act. We expect that our appeal will be heard in […]

VANCOUVER, November 5, 2015 – The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) is strongly concerned for British Columbia’s privacy law, following the release of the final text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. The group had been worried that provisions of the TPP—a multinational trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and ten other countries, […]

VANCOUVER, November 4, 2015 – The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) congratulates members of the new Cabinet named by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and calls on them to advance and protect Canadians’ access to information and privacy rights. “FIPA welcomes our new Cabinet Ministers, and calls on them to work to repair […]

Download the full October 2015 Bulletin, or use the links below to read individual articles online. In this issue: Access to Information and the Federal Election FIPA Appears Before the Information & Privacy Review Committee FIPA Out and About During Right To Know Week FIPA Weighs in on Privacy & Open Courts Find more issues of the […]

FIPA highlighted the importance of both the right to privacy and the open court principle in our submission to a consultation the Court Services Online (CSO) system, which was held by the Chief Judge of the BC Provincial Court of BC. The open court principle is fundamental in a democratic society, as it allows citizens to scrutinize the workings of […]

It was a busy Right To Know Week for the FIPA team. In addition to our day-to-day work pushing for a stronger access to information system, we spent this week going out into the world to spread the good word about FOI. First, we hosted FOI 101, an introductory workshop on filing freedom of information […]