In this issue: Big Challenges ahead for Freedom of Information and Privacy Government reaches a new low in FOI avoidance FIPA calls for penalties when government abuses FOI process FOIPPA Amendments pave way to unprecedented sharing of personal information BC government abandons e-Health Act, issues Health Minister a free pass to collect personal health information […]

Canada’s federal government should take all steps necessary to ensure he standards and values behind Canadian privacy laws are not diminished as programs to fulfill the Canada-US perimeter security action plan aredeveloped, say Canada’s privacy guardians. Recommendations made by the federal Privacy Commissioner in a June 2011 submission to government are not addressed in the […]

BC FIPA and the BCCLA have sent their comments on proposed amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). In line with BC FIPA’s commitment with transparency, these comments were submitted in lieu of confidential participation in the consultation process. The Ministry of Labour, Citizens’ Services, and Open Government is proposing […]

In this update: Conservatives hit hard by backlash against online spying bill – a privacy issue that has rung the bell with a majority of Canadians. Read the update (pdf).

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC has published guidelines for public bodies considering the benefits and risks of cloud computing. “Cloud computing” refers to the practice of using the Internet to process, manage and store data on remote network services, rather than on one’s own computer hard drives. As the popularity […]

In an investigation report released yesterday, Commissioner Elizabeth Denham shot down the use of facial recognition technology by ICBC for identifying Stanley Cup rioters unless they are responding to a court order. “Facial recognition has the potential to become a technology of surveillance, and we must ensure that public bodies and private organizations using it […]

The federal Conservatives’ online spying bill is back in Parliament and bad as ever … but opposition to the bill has been ferocious, and the feds may have to reconsider some of the most controversial sections. Bill C-30, the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act is the latest version of a long string of lawful […]

BC FIPA’s response to a petition by Ministry of Citizens’ Services to the BC Supreme Court in relation to a judicial review regarding FIPA’s FOI request for the Workplace Support Agreement between the Province of BC and IBM Canada. Download the response (pdf). BC FIPA opposes all orders sought by the petitioner.  The Ministry is […]

The BC Civil Liberties Association has issued a timely and comprehensive report on soon-to-be introduced “lawful access” bills to expand police surveillance powers. The federal government has announced that it will soon be introducing legislation to increase the ability of police to intercept private communications and access more personal information stored electronically. The BCCLA’s new […]

In this issue: FIPA celebrates 7th birthday of FOI Request for BC government’s $300 million contract with IBM Mayor Gregor Robertson flip-flops on freedom of information policy Privacy, civil liberties groups issue statement of principles on Canada-U.S. perimeter agreement Download the update (pdf).

Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver – In advance of today’s anticipated Canada-U.S. border deal signing in Washington, D.C., FIPA and seven other Canadian civil liberties groups have released a 12-point statement of principles they hope will help guide public and parliamentary debate in the months to come. The joint statement of principles was developed over the […]

Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian has added her voice to the growing chorus of critics of the federal Conservatives’ promised “lawful access” legislation that will expand state surveillance of the Internet and telecommunications. Ms. Cavoukian has issued a devastating critique of the imminent legislation– the most comprehensive and authoritative analysis to date. In […]