This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for January 15th, our first of 2026.  After the holiday break, there’s a lot to catch up on. Across Canada and internationally, we’re seeing familiar themes re-emerge: data breaches with unresolved accountability, governments struggling to balance security, privacy, and transparency, and growing pressure to define how artificial intelligence is governed, or not governed, in practice.  We’ll start in Nova […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, December 20th.   As we close out our final news summary of 2025, this week’s stories bring together a familiar set of themes: how access to information exposes public risk, how governments are reshaping decision-making behind closed doors, and how emerging technologies—from artificial intelligence to biometric surveillance—are testing the limits […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, December 13th.   As we head into the holiday season, it’s another big week for access and privacy. Local Journalism Initiative reporting uncovers serious questions about water safety, council transparency, and digital surveillance at home. Nationally, we’re seeing renewed pressure around the Ring of Fire, critical minerals, and Indigenous consent. Around the world, governments are […]

In this Commentary, BC Information and Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey returns to Access and Privacy Online to speak with FIPA President Mike Larsen, Executive Director Jason Woywada, and producer Patrick Farnsworth.   Commissioner Harvey addresses several key subjects, including the BC government’s latest report on the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act and concerns that people are losing faith in the […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, December 6th.   This week, police-worn body cameras are expanding across the country — and in some places, they’re being paired with new AI tools that raise serious questions about oversight and public transparency. We’re also watching a surge of major developments out of Alberta, from an influential access-to-information ruling to new concerns […]

FIPA is sharing a preliminary report of our efforts to study freedom of information (FOI) in BC.  Since late 2022, FIPA has been engaged on a research project that uses documents obtained through FOI requests to piece together how FOI requests are processed. We collected data from every public body subject to both the Freedom of Information Act and Protection […]

The information below links to the requests made, the public bodies who received them, and the release package FIPA received in response. Broader Public Sector 2024 BC Broader Public Sector Requests Core Government 2024 BC Core Government Requests Note: The data for this work is based on research conducted for FIPA’s larger project Access Regimes: Social […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, November 29th.   This week, the national spotlight is squarely on children’s privacy and online safety. Advocates are renewing calls for federal action as harms escalate, from AI-driven manipulation to tragic failures in youth mental health information practices. And as families head into holiday shopping, experts warn that AI-powered toys […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, November 22nd.   There’s a lot of action on the access and privacy front across Canada at local levels  We lead with two reports that shed light on Artificial intelligence policies and threats. With another example of a local council passing an AI policy, and another report highlighting […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, November 15th.   With attention still in Ottawa we have a lighter news week while still gaining important insight into privacy items domestically and abroad.  We travel coast to coast with local journalism initiative reporters looking at the DE prioritization of AI policies in Newfoundland, Alberta separatism […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, November 8th.   It’s a big week in Ottawa — Information and Privacy Commissioners from across Canada have issued a joint resolution calling on governments to protect democracy through stronger access and information management.   We’ll also look at how access-to-information laws continue to shed light on federal decision-making, from foreign aid to digital sovereignty.  […]

A new area of analysis for 2025, the following information is a draft and subject to correction. Introduction  Darts and Laurels . Analysis  Definitions  Scope of legislation to disregard requests What is the process What is the outcome Proportionality & Powers Appendix 1 Information Reviewed Appendix 2 Rubric Questions & Interpretations Appendix 3 Tables Defined […]