We’re calling on the provincial government to keep their promise Earlier this month, we teamed up with the BC Civil Liberties Association and created a petition to encourage the British Columbia government to keep their campaign promise of reforming the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). This Act is as important today […]

We are asking the BC Government to keep their promise. Sign the petition for FIPPA reform today! The BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) was meant to help create a culture of openness and transparency within the government. Today, however, we frequently see public bodies failing to create records or destroying […]

On June 27th, 2019, at our Annual General Meeting, we’ll be presenting The Tyee with an award that recognizes their outstanding reporting related to surveillance and privacy. (More information about our AGM and registration.) As a nonprofit society, the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association holds an Annual General Meeting. We like to make […]

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 […]

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 […]

Data Subjects is a new podcast dedicated to issues surrounding privacy and freedom of information rights in Canada. The show marks FIPA’s first foray into the world of podcasts. Episodes will tackle a wide variety of topics, from the history of FOI in Canada, to the pitfalls of our modern privacy rights, and many more. […]

Media Release A small step towards open and transparent government Vancouver, February 5, 2019 – The B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association is pleased with the recommendations made by the province’s top watchdogs to bring the Legislative Assembly of B.C. under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Signed by Information […]

How the government’s action regarding the long-overdue FIPPA reform reflects our collective attitudes towards political issues By Carlo Javier We have an interesting relationship with our rights – especially those dealing with our freedom to access information and privacy. On one hand, conversations around such issues have certainly become more welcome in the general Canadian […]

Join us for the online version of our popular FOI 101 workshop on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 12:30PM. This is a skills training webinar for newcomers to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Get practical skills on how to prepare and submit information requests that get results and learn to navigate some common challenges that […]