Access to Information

Topic: Access to Information


Muslim group and federal culture minister decry alleged attack on imam in Victoria

Muslim groups and Culture Minister Marc Miller are decrying an alleged attack on an imam of a mosque in Victoria on Thursday night. Miller said in a tweet that the reported assault is “appalling and vile” and that such violence and Islamophobia have no place in Canada. The BC Muslim Association said in a statement […]

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Experts on both sides of the pond say Alberta would do well to learn from Brexit

The European flag and the United Jack flag are held by Anti Brexit campaigners walking past Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square towards Britain’s parliament in London, Saturday March 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)Kirsty Wigglesworth Ten years ago this week, the United Kingdom voted to quit the European Union, setting off years of political turmoil and […]

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Bid to narrow transparency law ‘a move in the wrong direction,’ info watchdog says

Information commissioner Caroline Maynard says a federal proposal to narrow the scope of the Access to Information Act is a move in the wrong direction that could exclude “entire swaths of government-held records” from public scrutiny. Maynard makes the blunt warning in a newly published submission to the Treasury Board Secretariat’s latest review of the […]

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Fees for public records? A bill could kneecap California transparency laws

A bill winding its way through Sacramento right now would make some of the biggest changes in decades to the California Public Records Act — the 58-year-old state law that guarantees everyone has access to government documents and data. Proponents argue AB 1821 is necessary to help local governments weather a deluge of burdensome requests […]

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‘Where’s animal welfare services?’: Marineland whistleblower claims injured deer, elk being sent to slaughterhouses

A large, dark wound protrudes from the side of the deer’s head, stretching from the base of its antler toward its ear. The animal’s big, dark eyes reflect a weary helplessness.  That’s the hauntingly “heartbreaking” image that stared back at animal rights lawyer Kaitlyn Mitchell from her computer screen after a Marineland employee reached out […]

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Transparency Systems Must Themselves Be Transparent

FIPA report calls for a new way to understand whether B.C.’s freedom of information system is working.  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Victoria, B.C. 2026.06.18 — The B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) is releasing Drawing Access Together, a report based on over three years of research into the province’s freedom of information (FOI) systems.   The report finds that most public bodies do not maintain documented standards […]

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Former Calgary leaders opposing police request to keep phones seized in investigation

The lawyer for former Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek is arguing police have no reason to hold onto her phone any longer as they investigate her and others for municipal corruption. “An admission that there is no timeline, that there’s no capability, there’s not specific step plan for this phone within the year is the opposite […]

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15 countries in Kenya adopt the Mombasa Declaration to fight illegal fishing

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Fifteen countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific adopted a declaration on Wednesday to step up efforts to combat illegal fishing, a practice that experts say costs the world economy up to $50 billion annually. The Mombasa Declaration, named after the Kenyan city hosting the 11th Our Ocean […]

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Police in Quebec municipalities issued thousands of fines for insulting officers

Police in some of Quebec’s largest metropolitan regions have handed out thousands of fines over the past six years to citizens for allegedly hurling insults at officers or other municipal officials, according to internal data obtained by The Canadian Press.  Quebec City police have largely driven these numbers, issuing 11,092 fines between April 1, 2020, […]

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A Call for Stronger Access Rights

June 15, 2026 – The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) thanks the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada for the opportunity to make submission for the 2025 Access to Information Act Review.   The following submission was drafted by FIPA and submitted to the Treasury Board Secretariat.   We want to thank our 2026 UVic Law Co-op Legal Researcher, Pascale Grenier, […]

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom says Trump’s Justice Department is investigating him and his wife

SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused the Justice Department of launching a politically motivated investigation into him and his wife, saying the Trump administration was targeting him as he weighs a presidential bid. Newsom, a longtime political rival of the Republican president, said in a video posted on X […]

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Cold Lake updates records bylaw after province replaces FOIP legislation

The amendment updates the wording in the city’s Records Management and Retention Bylaw after the Government of Alberta repealed the former Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, commonly known as FOIP, and replaced it with the Protection of Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act. Kristy Isert, the City of Cold Lake’s […]

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