We have put together model letters to help citizens access records held by the Federal and BC governments.   Requesting records: BC FOI Request – Model Letter BC FOI Access Request Form Federal ATI Request – Model Letter Federal ATI Access Request Form   Appealing a denial or unsatisfactory handling of a request: BC FOI […]

Darrel Evans, executive director of BC FIPA, was in Victoria today to deliver a speech at the BC Library Association Annual Conference on Bill 38, BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). After extensive consultation and input from organizations like BC FIPA, Bill 38 has turned into a real privacy bill what BC FIPA describes as […]

Legislation introduced this week by the BC Liberals is an enormous leap for privacy rights, but BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner must have adequate resources to enforce it. The Personal Information Protection Act will require every private-sector organization in British Columbia to institute a privacy code regulating the way they collect, use and disclose the […]

Vancouver – FIPA, BC’s leading advocacy group for freedom of information and privacy rights, is declaring legislation introduced this week by the BC Liberals “an enormous leap for privacy rights.” But the group is also warning that the law will be a failure unless the government gives BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner adequate resources to […]

Bill 38 is a very good piece of privacy legislation and a breakthrough for privacy rights at the provincial level. BC has shown strong leadership among the provinces in moving forward with a private-sector privacy bill that has real teeth. For this, great credit is due to yourself and also to Chris Norman and Sharon […]

BC FIPA presented its comments before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Public Safety on the proposal to create a national identity card. [A] national ID card would be: hugely expensive; just as subject to fraud, privacy abuses, and security breaches as current systems of identification; and not likely to be more effective in preventing […]

Darrell Evans of BC FIPA gave a speech on Lawful Access to the Frontiers of Privacy and Security conference in Victoria today. Darrell highlighted some of the concerns that BC FIPA has with the direction that the Federal government is taking in the context of Lawful Access. FIPA’s view in a nutshell is that we […]

BC FIPA has published a list of key recommendations for reform to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the Act). FIPA calls for a number of improvements: reinforcing the ‘public interest’ provision under s. 25; limiting what the government can do without consent; increasing the responsibility of public bodies to respond fully […]

FIPA has submitted comments on the federal government’s Lawful Access Consultation Document to the Department of Justice, Industry Canada, and the Solicitor General today. The federal government initiated consultations earlier this year and BC FIPA hosted two workshops on the Lawful Access proposals and received input from over 45 groups and individuals that have helped […]

Vancouver – Public interest groups across Canada are uniting to support the Privacy Commissioner’s fight against government programs that are excessively eroding privacy rights in the name of security. Heading the list of programs opposed is the massive new surveillance database created by the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) to monitor Canadians and other […]

We are writing to give you the comments of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) on the ongoing process of reform of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FOIPP Act”).

Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services released a draft of the proposed Community Charter on May 28, 2002. At the time the Minister invited submissions by “all groups and individuals who wish to do so.” Today FIPA presented its submission to the Minister which is critical of several aspects of the Draft. [A] declared […]